TEHRAN- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to the United States and his anticipated meeting with President Donald Trump clearly indicates that he is clutching at straws in an attempt to obscure Israel’s military setbacks in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. 

Netanyahu is slated to hold talks with Trump on Tuesday at the White House.

In a statement issued prior to his departure on Sunday, the Israeli premier once again highlighted his dream of defeating Hamas. 

Netanyahu, known as Bibi, said he will have a discussion with the US president in the Oval Office about “victory over Hamas and achieving the release of all our hostages”.

Israel signed a ceasefire agreement with Hamas with the aim of ending the war on Gaza which went into effect on January 19.

The regime agreed to the truce agreement in the wake of its inability to meet its military objectives, which mainly included the elimination of Hamas and returning captives through military action. 

Netanyahu ordered his army to launch war on Gaza on October 7, 2023 after Hamas carried out a surprise military operation in southern Israel. More than 1,100 people were killed in the Hamas attack and about 250 others were taken captive. 

Protesters in the United States have labeled former president Joe Biden as “Genocide Joe” in response to the country's involvement in Israel's atrocities in Gaza

Dozens of the captives are still held in Gaza who are expected to be freed based on the three-phase ceasefire deal. 

Hamas has freed 18 captives in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinians from Israeli jails since the first phase of the truce began. 

Despite failing to achieve military goals during the course of the Gaza war, Netanyahu’s insistence on vanquishing Hamas appears to be a product of wishful thinking.

Further in his Sunday remarks, Netanyahu once again attempted to demonize Iran, stating that addressing the "Iranian terror axis in all its components" will be a key topic during his discussions with Trump.

Israel characterizes Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Ansarullah along with Iraqi resistance groups as Iran’s proxies. 

Iran has repeatedly rejected such claims as baseless. 

Netanyahu and his allies claim that Iran has been weakened in the wake of Israel’s brutal war in Gaza and Lebanon.

A day after Israel launched war on Gaza, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and Israel started the cross-border fire. Hezbollah carried out missile and drone attacks on Israel in a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. 

Israel launched a massive bombing campaign in Lebanon in September last year with the aim of subduing Hezbollah. But the regime reached a ceasefire with the resistance group after failing to meet its goal. 

Bibi is an outcast whose arrest warrant has been issued by the ICC over committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip

Yemen’s Ansarullah also hit Israel with missiles and drones and targeted Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea to express support for Gazans during the Gaza war. 

More than 15 months after the war on Gaza, Israel has not only failed to deter growing resistance against its atrocities in the region but has also witnessed deep domestic divisions and rising international isolation. 

The Israeli populace has expressed frustration towards Netanyahu for his inability to realize his objectives through military means.

The regime’s international isolation has also deepened over its crimes in Gaza. 

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for massacring more than 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza and starving them to death. 

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has also issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former war minister Yoav Gallant for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. 

Netanyahu is now a wanted criminal who is seeking to paper over Israel’s growing international isolation and its military setbacks.

In July 2024, Netanyahu addressed a joint session of the American Congress during a trip to the US. While the Gaza death toll had surpassed 39,000 at that time, he received massive applause from

American lawmakers during his speech. Netanyahu also held a meeting with former president Joe Biden. 

Upon returning from Washington, his army slaughtered more Palestinians in Gaza. 

In September, Netanyahu held another meeting with Biden on the sidelines of the 78th UN General Assembly. The meeting was simultaneous with Israel’s brutal attacks on Lebanon. 

It seems that Netanyahu’s US visits embolden him to perpetrate more crimes in the region.

The US unwavering military and political support for Israel during the course of the Gaza war has also made Washington complicit in the regime’s crimes. 

Protesters in the United States have labeled Biden as “Genocide Joe” in response to the country's involvement in Israel's crimes in Gaza.

Biden's backing for Israel was a significant factor contributing to the Democrats' loss in the November presidential election.

For now, President Trump should wake up to the fact that Bibi is a pariah. Trump should realize that supporting Netanyahu will leave his administration with egg on its face. 

The US president should leave the Israeli premier in the cold if he wants to fulfill his pledge of ending wars in the Middle East (West Asia).