Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance appear during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on February 4, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

(JTA) — When President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz from his position as national security adviser last week, the most logical explanation was that Trump was penalizing Waltz for adding a journalist to an unsecured government group chat about military operations.

But a report this weekend said Trump’s frustration with Waltz had begun far earlier — over Waltz’s alignment with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in pushing for a military offensive against Iran.

The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, said Trump was unhappy that Waltz had coordinated with Netanyahu ahead of the prime minister’s first visit to the White House in February.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

After Netanyahu made a repeat visit last month, reportedly to press a case for striking Iran with U.S. support, Trump told him that he would not support a U.S. strike on Iran for now. He publicly announced, in what was widely seen as a blow to Netanyahu, that the United States would enter negotiations with Iran designed to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.

“Waltz ‘wanted to take U.S. policy in a direction Trump wasn’t comfortable with because the U.S. hadn’t attempted a diplomatic solution,’ according to one of the people,” the Washington Post reported. “‘It got back to Trump and the president wasn’t happy with it,’ that person said.”

On Saturday night, following the newspaper’s report, Netanyahu’s office issued a statement denying that he had closely coordinated with Waltz and congratulating him on his nomination for a different role, as ambassador to the United Nations:

Contrary to the Washington Post report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not have intensive contact with Mike Waltz on Iran. Prime Minister Netanyahu had a warm meeting with Mike Waltz and Steve Witkoff at Blair House in February prior to the Prime Minister’s meeting with President Trump at the White House. Mike Waltz also joined Vice President JD Vance in a meeting with the Prime Minister before leaving Washington. Since then, the Prime Minister, the former National Security Advisor and Steve Witkoff had one phone conversion that did not deal with Iran. We congratulate Mr. Waltz on his important appointment to the United Nations.

If confirmed to the U.N. ambassadorship, Waltz would continue to play a role in U.S.-Israel relations. He replaces Rep. Elise Stefanik, a pro-Israel darling, as Trump’s nominee to the position.

Meanwhile, the status of the ongoing U.S.-Iran talks is murky, with Oman, which is playing an intermediary role, saying that the most recent round was being postponed. Trump has warned that if the talks fail, the consequences for Iran could be steep — and the United States could join Israel in a military response.

At the same time, insider sources told Reuters last week that the United States was working toward a deal that would in many ways reflect the one struck in 2015 by President Barack Obama, which both Trump and Netanyahu reviled.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount