A short video of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking on a runway March 25 as he prepared to return to Israel from Washington highlights the concern he felt about losing control of his election campaign. Journalists tailed Netanyahu as he walked with his wife Sara toward the stairs to his plane, eager to get an update or a comment on Israel’s military strike in Gaza. The problem for Netanyahu was that earlier that day, a rocket fired from Gaza had hit a home in Mishmeret, a village in the center of Israel, striking fear among every Israeli.
Netanyahu was frustrated that he had to cut his festive visit to Washington short. He raged at the journalists that from his perspective, they had not given sufficient coverage to President Donald Trump’s announcement recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. “People will settle the score with you for not giving it more than a minute of coverage,” Netanyahu warned. “But historically, this was huge.” It was only after the reporters pleaded with him that he agreed to make some general comments about Gaza.
