\u201cMy friends, for over a year, we\u2019ve been told that no deal is better than a bad deal,\u201d he said. \u201cWell, this is a bad deal. It\u2019s a very bad deal. We\u2019re better off without it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Less than a year later, the deal did go into effect. An effort to stop it in Congress failed, despite a full-court press by the Israeli government, the Republican Party, the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC and a lineup of American Jewish organizations.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n A decade on, the Netanyahu government is again confronting an Iran deal negotiated by a US president. Again, Israeli security officials fear it<\/a> because it lifts sanctions on the Islamic Republic, may leave much of its nuclear infrastructure in place, and doesn\u2019t address other threats posed by Iran.<\/p>\n But this time, there\u2019s no speech to Congress, no national campaign by Jewish groups, and the outcry from AIPAC is far more timid.<\/p>\n Anyone who\u2019s surprised by that difference shouldn\u2019t be. In 2015, Netanyahu\u2019s campaign went as far as it did because he was somewhat popular in the United States; commanded the loyalty, if not the affection, of many US Jewish organizations; and was able to leverage a Republican-led Congress against a Democratic president. And he still failed.<\/p>\n This year, basically none of those conditions exist, and many of them have flipped. That\u2019s left Netanyahu, facing an emerging agreement that many Israelis view as a grave danger, with few options to mount a robust attack. And the problem for the prime minister is that Trump knows it.<\/p>\n \u201cBibi actually went to Congress and pleaded with them, and he got nowhere,\u201d Trump said last week<\/a> at the G7 summit of global leaders. \u201cAnd they had this horrible deal. It was horrible for Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n At the same press conference, he quipped, \u201cWe\u2019re the big partner, and he\u2019s the very small partner.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Netanyahu styles himself a keen observer of American political dynamics, but it doesn\u2019t take a sleuth to spot the difference between how Congress responded to the 2015 deal and how it\u2019s responding to this one.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a serious threat that exists in the world, and the president last night kind of papered over it,\u201d John Boehner, who was then the Republican speaker of the House, said<\/a> in 2015 in defense of his invitation to Netanyahu. \u201cAnd the fact is, there needs to be a more serious conversation in America about how serious the threat is from radical Islamic jihadists and the threat posed by Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the current Republican speaker, Mike Johnson, when asked whether he believes Trump is still committed to denying Iran nuclear weapons in the wake of the memorandum of understanding signed by Tehran and Washington: \u201cI\u2019m very confident,\u201d he said<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s as resolute as he\u2019s been from the beginning\u2026 His number-one condition has been that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n \t But the key change is an obvious difference in the political calculus. In 2015, the Iran deal was a can\u2019t-miss opportunity for Republicans in Congress to attack a Democratic president. It didn\u2019t hurt that at the time, 70 percent of Americans viewed Israel favorably<\/a>, including majorities of both parties.<\/p>\n A plurality of Americans also viewed Netanyahu favorably<\/a>. Inviting the prime minister gave Republicans the perfect opportunity to show how Obama was throwing a beloved ally under the bus.<\/p>\n But this year, the realities are starkly different. Republicans control both Congress and the White House, and it would be an understatement to say the speaker of the House isn\u2019t likely to invite a foreign leader to the rostrum to bash a president from his own party just months ahead of crucial midterm elections.<\/p>\n This year, the speaker of the House isn\u2019t likely to invite a foreign leader to the rostrum to bash a president from his own party just months ahead of crucial midterm elections.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s standing also isn\u2019t what it once was. As of February 2026, according to Gallup, just 46% of Americans viewed Israel favorably \u2014 and that was before Israel joined the US in launching a deeply unpopular war that has jacked up prices.\n<\/p>\n Nor can Netanyahu count on the opposition party to take up his cause in the halls of Congress this time: Polls show that Israel\u2019s ratings among Democrats have plunged underwater.<\/p>\n Netanyahu\u2019s personal popularity has also tanked: In 2015, 38% of Americans liked him and 28% disliked him. Now, 52% view him unfavorably.<\/p>\n \t Jewish groups are also relatively muted in their opposition, with a few signaling that they\u2019re waiting for US-Iran negotiations to produce a final deal before mounting a campaign, according to an extensive JTA report<\/a>.<\/p>\n They may also be reading the tea leaves. Antisemitism is rising. Israel is getting less and less popular \u2014 and its supposed influence on US policy, along with AIPAC\u2019s, has become the central issue in several Democratic congressional primaries.<\/p>\n Republicans support Trump, and Democrats oppose the war. According to a March poll by the liberal Israel lobby J Street, most US Jews do<\/a>, too. Members of both parties \u2014 including the lead American negotiator, Vice President JD Vance \u2014 are publicly attacking Israel<\/a>. Across that landscape, it\u2019s hard to imagine a national Jewish advocacy campaign against a deal with Iran gaining traction.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AFP__20260619__2282397304__v1__HighRes__PresidentTrumpDepartsDCForCampDavidForTheWee-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tUS President Donald Trump delivers remarks after touring the newest aircraft in the presidential fleet on June 19, 2026 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland (ALEX WONG\/Getty Images via AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AFP__20250207__36XD8HV__v1__HighRes__UsIsraelDiplomacyNetanyahu-e1751927034782-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R) speak to the press at the US Capitol following their closed-door meeting in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2025. (Oliver Contreras\/AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26172489257715-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tUS Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Lake Lucerne Summit at the Burgenstock resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne, Switzerland, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (Urs Flueeler, Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26166663676884-640x400.jpg\")
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