Former Israeli Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann has said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political weakness had enabled US President Donald Trump to lead both Netanyahu and Israel through an “unprecedented journey of humiliation”.
Writing in the Israeli newspaper Maariv on Saturday, Friedmann assessed the consequences of Israeli genocide in Gaza and its impact on Israel’s international standing and global image.
Images seen by millions worldwide are “a devastated Gaza, dead and wounded children, and people wandering among the rubble, living in tents under the scorching sun or heavy rain”.
“There are those in Israel who believe all this serves Israel’s interests and has strengthened its deterrence,” he wrote.
“But that is only a partial truth. The limited deterrence achieved must be weighed against the price reflected in the transformation of global consciousness, including shifts in the Arab world, most of which are contrary to Israel’s interests.”
“But as the war continued and time passed, the destruction in Gaza pushed discussion of Hamas’ attack aside, and people around the world, including our friends and allies, increasingly turned against Israel,” he added.
Occupied West Bank
Friedmann argued that the shift in global opinion had led to what he described as a decline in Israel’s international standing and growing public support for the Palestinians.
He also warned about what he called “Jewish terrorism” in the occupied West Bank and criticised what he described as unequal treatment of Jewish and Arab attackers, alongside statements from government ministers and coalition lawmakers.
“All this rhetoric constitutes an attack on Israel’s security, undermines its standing, strengthens its enemies and increases the risk of sanctions against it,” he wrote.
US influence
Turning to relations with Washington, Friedmann said Netanyahu’s political weakness had allowed Trump to guide both him and Israel through “an unprecedented journey of humiliation”.
He recalled that in September 2025, Israel carried out “a failed attempt” to assassinate senior Hamas officials who had travelled to Qatar for negotiations on a US-backed ceasefire and prisoner exchange proposal for Gaza.
According to Friedmann, Trump subsequently “demanded that Netanyahu apologise to the Qatari leader and pledge that Israel would not carry out attacks on Qatari territory”.
He said Netanyahu’s apology was delivered in a phone call from the White House and later reported globally.
Iran framework agreement
Friedmann also criticised a US framework agreement with Iran, saying it imposed limits on Israel’s actions, “or more precisely, its inaction”, against Hezbollah while disregarding Israel’s position.
