Credit Where It's Due: Netanyahu Ended the Israel-Iran War When Trump Ordered Him To

May we put in a good word for Benjamin Netanyahu? The prime
minister knew how and when to end the war with Iran. May we also say something positive about Donald Trump? Had it not been for the
precise and powerful intervention of the American president, this conflict would have turned into a demoralizing, unending war of attrition that would have  devastated Israel even more than it would Iran, which has much more experience with prolonged warfare.

It's highly doubtful that Trump's predecessors, the hesitant Barack Obama and Joe Biden, would have dared order Netanyahu to end the war as their successor did.

Because it was a war of unprecedented danger, it's imperative to express gratitude to those who brought it to an end. It's easy to say that Netanyahu's fear of Trump led him to end the war, but presumably he also had the option of continuing it, if only for a brief period – and of getting into trouble. 

Netanyahu demonstrated leadership and decisiveness, moments after his grotesque defense minister tweeted: "I instructed the IDF to respond forcefully to Iran's violation of the cease-fire." On the most important matters, Israel has the smallest government in its history: a government of one man.

Israel is divided into two sects. One is convinced that everything Netanyahu does is an act of God; the other, that everything he does is an act of Satan. Netanyahu is neither.

The main culprit of the October 7 massacre, and especially of the bloody war Israel has been waging in Gaza ever since, occasionally does things that can and should be praised. The swift conclusion of the war with Iran is one of them. Netanyahu deserves recognition because had he not ended it quickly, we would have become horrifically entangled.

It would have been easy to be tempted to continue invading the open skies of Iran and sowing more destruction to the cheers of the Israeli media, which is mesmerized by every sortie and grovels before every PR statement from the military spokesman. Netanyahu ended the party even when the bloodthirsty right wanted more. It was the exit of his life, even if it was prompted by Trump's pressure. It's a shame that Trump and Netanyahu have been refusing for months to make the same exit in Gaza.

The necessity of this war, whose achievements are entirely unclear, is highly doubtful. Most, if not all, of the accomplishments could have been obtained through diplomacy. Only time will tell whether this was a war of deception, which failed to eliminate Iran's nuclear option and may even have moved it up, or a war that put an end to Tehran's nuclear dream
for many years at least. Also in need of additional proof is the extent of the damage to Iran's proxies in Gaza and Lebanon. Maybe a better Middle East, maybe not.

One may bow down before the Mossad and marvel at the capabilities demonstrated by the air force, but without being able to name significant, lasting results, this has no value but for the drool dripping from the lips of fans of the genre and the embarrassing credit-grabbing performance of Yossi Cohen on Channel 12 news.

Did our vaunted James Bonds make Israel a safer place? Only time will tell. At least this war wasn't genocidal: In Israel, mass amputation is called Operation Pagers and people gawk childishly at every pyrotechnic, cinematic killing spree without questioning its true value. 

Netanyahu launched and won this war, and anyone who thinks it was good for Israel must admire him for it, even if they see him as "the most despicable Jew in history," as is common in the "anyone but Bibi" camp. On the other hand, his foolish followers should understand by now that he is responsible for horrific war crimes in Gaza, crimes that only intensified under the cover of the war with Iran. 

Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's, the New Testament says. This applies both to a cruel caesar like Netanyahu and a boastful god like Trump.

Gideon Levy

Source: Haaretz