Summary
Highlights
On June 21st, a dramatic article was published in the Israeli newspaper "Israel Hayom," owned by Miriam Adelson, a major financial donor to Donald Trump. The article, which is more scathing in its original form than described by Daily Beast, accuses Trump of being a failure and a traitor.
Miriam Adelson, the richest woman in Israel and a US citizen, is a significant lobbyist for Israel in the US and was the third-largest financial donor to Trump's presidential campaign, contributing around $132 million. Shvets uses an analogy of Dr. Frankenstein or Professor Preobrazhensky creating a monster to illustrate the disappointment of Trump's major sponsors.
The article's title, 'You could have been the greatest president of all time, but you failed,' highlights the core criticism. Shvets argues that Trump could never have been the 'greatest president' from Israel's perspective because he couldn't defeat Iran. He ties this to his earlier predictions of catastrophe under Trump's presidency, stating that the Israeli elite misjudged Trump's personality and capabilities, leading to inevitable failure.
The article accuses Trump of harming the enlightened world's interests, humiliating America, and betraying Israel. Shvets agrees with the assessment of America's humiliation but reiterates that Israel's disappointment stems from their initial misjudgment of Trump. He criticizes Trump for unilaterally abandoning the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, which he argues was effectively containing Iran's nuclear program, and for doing so purely out of disdain for Obama, not strategic reasons.
The article praises Trump for withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal and for assisting Israel in striking Iranian nuclear facilities. However, Shvets points out that this 'first war' was ultimately a failure, leading to Iran escalating its uranium enrichment. He argues that both Trump and Netanyahu presented a false sense of victory, and their joint operation against Iran was poorly planned and executed, leading to a more dangerous situation.
Six months after the initial strikes, a 'second war' became necessary, which the article claims aimed for regime change in Iran. Shvets critiques this plan, noting that it involved prolonged bombings followed by economic sanctions, which he deemed insufficient. He highlights Iran's 'hybrid atomic bomb' – the ability to blockade the Strait of Hormuz – which the planners failed to anticipate, leading to a global economic crisis and plummeting approval ratings for Trump.
The article expresses bewilderment at Trump's sudden '180-degree turn' towards negotiations with Iran. Shvets, however, sees this as a logical reaction to the dire economic and political consequences of the failed military campaign. He notes that both Trump and Netanyahu are now being blamed, with Trump being accused of selling out allies like the UAE and Bahrain, and his 'messianic statements' about saving Israel being dismissed.
Shvets explains why Trump cannot reverse course from negotiations and return to military confrontation. Factors include negative public opinion, the US's inability to sustain a large-scale war, and approaching elections. He highlights that the US military lacks the resources for endless bombings and ground operations, making victory impossible. He also criticizes the current peace memorandum, signed by Trump but not by Israel, as absurd and unenforceable, lacking both Israeli's consent and international support from France and the UK.
Shvets concludes that Israel's disastrous situation stems from a fundamental error: misjudging Trump and involving him in a military operation when he and his administration were ill-equipped for it. He likens it to a failed intelligence operation where the target was wrongly assessed. This miscalculation has led to Iran becoming a leading power in the Middle East and a 'black mark' against Trump and Pence, potentially dooming the Republican party in future elections.