Most Israelis oppose Trump influence over Israel’s military decisions, poll finds

The poll found that 66% of coalition voters and 62% of opposition voters said Netanyahu should not have stopped Lebanon strikes after Trump told him to.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Most Israelis believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should resist pressure from US President Donald Trump regarding Israel’s military decisions, according to a Maariv poll published Friday following reports of a heated exchange between the two leaders over Lebanon and a proposed ceasefire arrangement.

The survey found that 62% of Israelis think Netanyahu should not allow Trump to have excessive influence over Israel’s military actions.

When asked specifically about Trump’s demand that Israel halt strikes in Lebanon, majorities in both political camps took the same position, with 66% of coalition voters and 62% of opposition voters saying Netanyahu should not have agreed.

At the same time, 25% of respondents said Netanyahu had no alternative but to comply with Trump’s demands, while 13% said they did not know.

The poll followed reports of a profanity-filled phone conversation earlier in the week between Trump and Netanyahu concerning Israel’s military campaign and its acceptance of a ceasefire proposal.

According to a report citing two administration officials and another source, Trump objected to plans to demolish buildings in Beirut in order to target Hezbollah commanders and asked Netanyahu: “What the f*ck are you doing?”

The report said Trump also referred to support he had provided Netanyahu regarding legal proceedings in Israel, telling the prime minister: “You’re f*cking crazy. You’d be in jail if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everyone hates you now, and everyone hates Israel because of this.”

Axios reported that tensions inside the White House increased after Iran threatened to withdraw from negotiations with Washington because of Israeli actions in Lebanon.

Sources cited by Axios said US officials support Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah attacks but differ over the scale of IDF operations in Lebanon. A senior US official quoted by Axios said Netanyahu responded: “Okay, okay, just make sure everything is handled.”

Trump later acknowledged using profanity during the conversation but rejected characterizations that he was angry.

“I did,” Trump told the “Pod Force One” podcast. “I wouldn’t say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon, you know. At some point I said, ‘Bibi we got to stop this. We got to stop it,'”

Trump added: “I like Bibi a lot. And I work very well with him. I’m a wartime president. He’s a wartime prime minister.”

Netanyahu declined to address the specific details of the reported conversation, describing the dispute as a matter of “tactical disagreements” and saying that, despite occasional arguments, the two leaders still “agree on the main things.”