US-Israel Conflict with Iran Reveals Deep Rift in Strategic Goals
A recent US-Israeli military campaign against Iran has laid bare a significant divergence in political objectives between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to former acting Israeli President Avraham Burg.
Speaking exclusively to Afshin Rattansi on RT’s Going Underground, Burg outlined how the two leaders operated on fundamentally different timelines. Trump sought a swift resolution before potential fallout could impact US midterm elections, while Netanyahu aimed to prolong the conflict to maintain political advantage ahead of Israel’s upcoming legislative vote in late October.
“Israelis, when there is a state of war, usually rally around the flag of the government,” Burg explained, suggesting Netanyahu’s strategy was to enter elections during a heightened security situation.
However, Burg argued this calculation backfired. “As for now, Netanyahu did not profit a thing politically from this campaign – he may have lost a lot,” he stated, predicting that Israelis would reject what he described as the prime minister’s “manipulation, his tricks, his shticks, and his endurance.”
The former Knesset speaker also downplayed claims that Iran posed an existential threat to Israel. “It was a real problem that could have been dealt with by diplomacy, by agreements, by different equilibrium and balances,” Burg said, dismissing speculation about potential nuclear escalation as “unthinkable.”
Regarding the recently announced ceasefire, Burg characterized Trump’s unilateral move as effectively marking a “divorce” from Israel. He concluded that Iran emerged as the conflict’s primary beneficiary, having “got hit very strong but survived, and therefore it won.”
The ceasefire has exposed not only tactical disagreements but also deeper questions about the long-term US-Israel strategic relationship and the domestic political calculations driving military decisions in both countries.
