We Are All Extras in the Netanyahu and Trump Prime Time Reality Show

Benjamin Netanyahu has always understood the power of spectacle. In Donald Trump, he found a partner who not only recognizes the value of drama but thrives on it. Trump, the reality TV star turned president, has approached foreign policy as a series of staged confrontations, negotiations, and cliffhangers. As I wrote over a month ago, Trump is an actor—playing everyone, always seeking the next ratings boost, the next headline twist, and as I wrote – it will end with military action against Iran. Looking at the speeches and photos of Bibi, this is all probably a stunt to take us to an elections and we are all extras in the Netanyahu and Trump show. 

Despite the dramatic headlines and military strikes, in this reality show the reality is that Israel and the U.S. did not destroy Iran’s nuclear program or its facilities. And as I’ve written before, Iran doesn’t even need to rely on its own program. It can get warheads from other nations. Yesterday, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev confirmed on Twitter that “a number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads.” So even if Israel and the U.S. were successful militarily, it would not have solved the problem of “Nuclear Iran”. 

Netanyahu has spent decades warning the world that Iran is on the brink of acquiring nuclear weapons. From his days as a parliamentarian in 1992, when he told the Knesset that Iran was “three to five years” from nuclear capability. In 1995, he published Fighting Terrorism, reiterating the same timeline. In 1996, addressing the U.S. Congress, he declared the deadline “extremely close.” By 2002, he was warning Congress that both Iraq and Iran were racing for the bomb. In 2009, he told members of Congress Iran was “one or two years” away. At the 2012 UN General Assembly, he brandished a cartoon bomb and claimed Iran was just months from crossing the nuclear threshold. And these are just a few.

Yet, for all these warnings, the bomb has not materialized. The timeline keeps shifting, but the script remains unchanged. This relentless drumbeat has shaped Israeli policy, justified military actions, and, crucially, served as a backdrop to Netanyahu’s own political fortunes.

The timing of the military action is hard to ignore. Just days before the strikes on Iran, the Knesset nearly voted to dissolve itself—a move that would have likely ended Netanyahu’s premiership. At the same time, Netanyahu was embroiled in his own legal drama, giving testimony in his corruption trial. And above all for Bibi the preformer – trailing in the polls.

Instead, the war has suspended “normal politics,” boosting his standing in the polls, even as his coalition remains deeply unpopular and unable to command a majority.

While Netanyahu and Trump play their starring roles, the rest of us are relegated to extras—watching, reacting, suffering the consequences. Israeli and Iranian civilians bear the brunt of the violence. The political opposition in Israel, once poised to bring down the government, is sidelined by the imperatives of war. 

Interestingly, strong figures behind the Trump movement like Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson lost the battle against the supporters of the Israeli right wing government. Their resistance ultimately collapsed under pressure from a powerful coalition: AIPAC, evangelical groups, Fox News’ pro-Netanyahu commentators and others. The right-wing pro-Israeli government lobby prevailed, and the U.S. was drawn in further.

Iran now holds all the strategic cards. Its precision strikes are hitting every target they choose (which most of the Israeli public is not aware of), causing massive damage to infrastructure and the Israeli economy, yet casualties remain relatively low due to evacuations and defense systems. Israel, meanwhile, faces Military Stalemate – Israel has less ammunition, fewer defense missiles, and is struggling to keep up with the pace and precision of Iranian attacks. And as important – Financial crisis. The war is costing Israel tens or even hundreds of billions of shekels which no one knows where the money to pay for it will come. And we still don’t know how many Israelis will choose to leave Israel permanently once the sky opens. These are the people who create, who build companies, who pay taxes, who serve in the reserves. Many of them are ״out of air״.

If Iran chooses, the war can continue for months, further draining Israel’s resources and morale. The best-case scenario for Israel is now a ceasefire agreement. The worst case is a continuation of the war as it is now—prolonged, costly, and with no clear victory in sight.

In the end, Israel has achieved nothing tangible. The nuclear program persists, Iran’s regional influence is undiminished, and the threat of nuclear proliferation is more real than ever. The only person who has gained is Netanyahu, who has bought himself time and political survival at the expense of the nation’s security and prosperity. And every time Netanyahu wins, the Israeli public loses. 

For Israel to hopefully survive the Netanyahu years and latest adventures, Israelis must get rid of Netanyahu the politician. Send him to join his son on the Miami coastline as soon as possible. Every day that passes lowers the chances of survival for the State of Israel. Not because of Iran – because of Netanyahu and his partners and enablers.