Golan says Netanyahu ‘not functioning’ as Israel seen as sidelined in Iran talks

Democrats chairman Yair Golan says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “not functioning” as US-Iran negotiations proceed without Israeli input, criticizing the premier for allowing Israel to lose influence over critical regional developments.

“The fact that the arrangements most critical to Israel’s security are being finalized without us, and that Israel will likely learn the details of the agreement only after the fact, is an unimaginable disgrace,” the left-wing leader says to the press ahead of a faction meeting at the Knesset, calling it “the clearest evidence of the loss of control over our security under Netanyahu’s rule.”

“Netanyahu is not functioning,” Golan continues. “His health does not allow him to withstand the pressure. His legal situation does not allow him to govern the country, and his political condition has turned Israel into a regional and global weakling.”

Claiming that “everyone understands that [US President Donald] Trump, the international community and regional leaders do not take Netanyahu into account,” Golan says that talks on Iran are taking place “over his head” and that Israel is repeatedly “reacting to the decisions of others instead of leading them.”

Golan’s remarks come as Netanyahu continues to testify in his ongoing corruption trial, in which he faces charges of fraud and breach of trust, and a month after the premier disclosed that he had undergone treatment for prostate cancer, but had held off on informing the public, claiming Iran would have used the information to spread propaganda against Israel in the middle of the recent war.