‘He’s f-ing me’: Trump’s frustration with Netanyahu

President Donald Trump has privately expressed deep exasperation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — and yet, diplomats and analysts say he has been unable, or unwilling, to follow through with real pressure.

“He’s f—ing me,” Trump reportedly said of Netanyahu following Israeli air strikes on Hamas negotiators in Qatar, according to the Wall Street Journal. The remarks came during a meeting with senior aides, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, when Trump learned of the operation hours after it had begun. 

According to multiple sources cited by the WSJ, Trump has been increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu. Though his frustration has boiled over on many occasions, the US President is said to unable to exert any influence on the Israeli Prime Minister.

“Why is Trump, who prefers to keep the upper hand in relationships, willing to let Netanyahu continually operate in direct defiance of his wishes?” asked the WSJ.

“It’s slightly baffling and counterintuitive,” Shalom Lipner is reported saying. Lipner served seven consecutive Israeli prime ministers in their offices over a quarter-century and is now at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank.

“Netanyahu’s moves have prolonged the Gaza war, created trouble for Trump with other U.S. allies in the region and made the expansion of the Abraham Accords excruciatingly difficult,” Lipner added.

Despite the heated private comments, there has been little in the way of public pushback. The WSJ notes that Trump’s loyalty, combined with Netanyahu’s deep connections with US Republicans and conservative media, have made it politically costly for the US president to apply any pressure. 

Netanyahu has long boasted about his ability to sway and control US politics. In a leaked video from 2001, resurfaced in 2010, he told a group of settlers: “I know what America is; America is a thing you can move very easily, move it in the right direction. They won’t get in their way.”

READ: Contrary to US claims, Israel informed Trump of Qatar attack beforehand: Report