Everybody hates Israel because of this
In the early hours of June 2nd, the fragile architecture of Middle Eastern diplomacy was tested by a profanity-laced phone call between an American president and his closest regional ally, even as a partial ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah struggled to take its first breath. The moment captures something ancient and recurring in the human story: the gap between the violence nations authorize and the peace they claim to seek. A truce brokered through intermediaries now hangs over a conflict that has already reshaped fuel markets, displaced civilians, and drawn the world's great powers into an uneasy orbit around Lebanon's southern border.
- Trump's furious call to Netanyahu — in which he reportedly said 'you're f***ing crazy' and warned that 'everybody hates Israel' — signals that Washington's patience with Israeli escalation in Lebanon has reached a breaking point.
- A partial ceasefire brokered through US intermediaries collapsed almost immediately into reported violations, while Israeli ground forces continued their deepest push into Lebanese territory in twenty-five years.
- Netanyahu publicly reserved the right to resume bombing Beirut if the truce fails and refused to halt southern Lebanon operations, leaving the ceasefire structurally incomplete before it could take hold.
- Jet fuel prices have surged 58 percent since February, driven by Strait of Hormuz disruptions, forcing airlines to raise fares and cut routes — the war's economic consequences now landing in the pockets of ordinary travelers worldwide.
- Secretary of State Rubio faces congressional testimony on a conflict whose stated objectives have shifted repeatedly, while oil markets remain volatile and the broader Iran-US ceasefire continues to fray through tit-for-tat strikes.
The phone call on the morning of June 2nd was not diplomatic. Donald Trump, according to a US official who briefed reporters, unleashed a torrent of profanities at Benjamin Netanyahu, warning that Israel's bombing campaign in Lebanon had turned global opinion against it. The exchange laid bare a deepening rift between Washington and its closest Middle Eastern ally over how far and how fast Israeli forces should go.
Yet even as Trump vented, a fragile opening was forming. Hezbollah had signaled through US intermediaries that it would halt attacks if Israel reciprocated, and Lebanon's government confirmed a partial ceasefire. The announcement offered a potential off-ramp from months of escalation — but it was brittle from the start. Violations were reported within hours, and Netanyahu made clear that Israel retained the right to resume strikes on what it called terror targets in Beirut if the truce broke down.
The ceasefire did nothing to slow Israel's ground campaign in the south. Israeli forces were advancing toward the Zaharani River in their deepest incursion into Lebanese territory in a quarter-century. Hezbollah's parliamentary representative demanded a comprehensive ceasefire across all of Lebanon as a precondition for any Israeli withdrawal — a framing Netanyahu flatly rejected.
The conflict's economic toll was becoming impossible to ignore. Jet fuel prices had surged from roughly $85–90 per barrel before the February strikes to approximately $142 by late May, driven by persistent disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Airlines worldwide were raising fares, cutting routes, and reducing frequencies. Smaller carriers faced particular pressure. Oil markets remained volatile, with traders watching the ceasefire's fragility, the Hormuz situation, and Trump's next move with equal unease.
In Washington, political fault lines were hardening. Secretary of State Rubio prepared to testify before Congress on a war whose objectives had shifted repeatedly. Republican defenders framed the Iran campaign as a necessary stand against nuclear proliferation, while critics noted the contradiction with Trump's long-standing rhetoric against open-ended Middle Eastern commitments. Trump himself spent the early morning hours of June 2nd on Truth Social, attacking media coverage and predicting that even an unconditional Iranian surrender would be framed as a defeat for Washington. The ceasefire in Lebanon, meanwhile, remained exactly what it had been from the first hour: a knife balanced on its edge.
The call between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu on the morning of June 2nd was not a cordial one. According to a US official who briefed reporters, the American president unleashed a barrage of profanities at the Israeli leader, accusing him of being reckless and warning that his military campaign in Lebanon had poisoned global opinion. "Everybody hates Israel because of this," Trump said, according to the account provided to Axios. The tension reflected a widening rift between Washington and its closest Middle Eastern ally over the scope and pace of Israeli operations against Hezbollah.
Yet even as Trump vented his frustration, a fragile diplomatic opening was taking shape. Hezbollah, through intermediaries, had signaled to the United States that it would cease attacks on Israel if Israel reciprocated. Lebanon's government confirmed that a partial ceasefire had been agreed. The announcement came as a potential off-ramp from a conflict that had already consumed months of escalation, beginning with the Iran war that started on February 28th. But the ceasefire was brittle from the start. Reports of violations surfaced within hours on Tuesday morning, and Netanyahu made clear that Israel reserved the right to resume bombing what it called terror targets in Beirut if the truce collapsed.
The Israeli prime minister also signaled that the ceasefire would not constrain Israel's ground operations in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces were pushing toward the Zaharani River, marking their deepest incursion into Lebanese territory in a quarter-century. Hezbollah's parliamentary representative, Hassan Fadlallah, had called for a comprehensive ceasefire across all of Lebanon as a precondition for Israeli troop withdrawal, but Netanyahu rejected that framing. Israel, he insisted, would continue its military campaign in the south regardless of any broader agreement.
The diplomatic turbulence extended far beyond the Netanyahu-Trump call. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was preparing to testify before Congress for the first time since the Iran war began, facing questions about the administration's stalling diplomatic efforts and the already unsteady ceasefire between Washington and Tehran. The conflict had tested that arrangement repeatedly in recent days through tit-for-tat strikes. Cabinet members, including Rubio, had defended Trump's decision to launch the war despite his long-standing rhetoric against open-ended Middle Eastern military commitments, though critics noted that Trump's stated objectives for the conflict had shifted multiple times.
The economic reverberations of the conflict were becoming impossible to ignore. Jet fuel prices had nearly doubled since the February strikes, surging from a pre-war range of $85 to $90 per barrel to approximately $142 by late May, according to the International Air Transport Association. The spike was driven by persistent shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which nearly a fifth of the world's oil and gas passes. Airlines worldwide were responding by raising passenger fares and baggage fees, reducing flight frequencies, and cutting routes. Smaller carriers like JetBlue, with less financial cushion than their larger competitors, faced particular pressure to pass costs along to customers or absorb losses.
Oil markets themselves remained volatile. Brent crude futures edged up slightly in early trading on June 2nd, while West Texas Intermediate fell modestly. Both benchmarks had surged more than 5 percent in the previous session, though gains were pared after Trump stated he had not been informed that Iran was suspending talks with Washington. The uncertainty over whether the ceasefire would hold, whether the Strait of Hormuz would reopen, and what Trump's next move might be kept traders cautious.
Meanwhile, the diplomatic isolation of pro-Palestinian voices was intensifying in unexpected quarters. The United Kingdom had banned commentators Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur from entering the country, a decision that British lawmaker Zarah Sultana condemned as part of a pattern of disproportionate scrutiny against Palestinian advocates. She noted the contrast with the welcome extended to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, whose statements had been cited in a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. New Zealand joined Australia and the European Union in imposing travel bans on three Israeli settlers accused of actively expanding illegal settlements in the West Bank and using violence to displace Palestinians.
Back in Washington, the political fault lines over the Iran war were hardening. Republican representative Sheri Biggs defended Trump's military campaign as essential to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, dismissing criticism as hypocrisy and telling Americans who opposed the war to leave the country. Trump himself spent the early morning hours of June 2nd attacking American media on Truth Social, predicting that even if Iran surrendered unconditionally, outlets like the New York Times and CNN would somehow frame the outcome as an Iranian victory. The president's late-night posts reflected a broader frustration with how the conflict was being covered and discussed, even as the ceasefire in Lebanon remained on the knife's edge.
Citas Notables
What the f*** are you doing?— Trump to Netanyahu, during call
Israel's position remains the same— Netanyahu's office, in statement following Trump call
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did Trump feel compelled to call Netanyahu directly? What made this moment different from previous disagreements?
Trump was watching the bombing campaign expand and seeing the international backlash grow in real time. The ceasefire offer from Hezbollah gave him an off-ramp, but Netanyahu seemed determined to keep the door open for more strikes. Trump needed Netanyahu to understand that continued escalation was becoming a political liability for the administration.
The ceasefire was agreed to, but violations were reported almost immediately. How much faith should we have in this holding?
Very little, honestly. Netanyahu explicitly said he'd resume bombing if violations occurred, and Hezbollah's demand for a full ceasefire across Lebanon as a condition for Israeli withdrawal was rejected outright. Both sides are using the ceasefire as a pause, not as an endpoint. They're positioning for what comes next.
The fuel prices—$142 a barrel in May versus $85 before the war. That's a massive shock to the global economy. How much longer can airlines absorb that?
They can't. JetBlue and smaller carriers are already raising prices and cutting routes. If the Strait of Hormuz stays disrupted and the war drags on, you're looking at a structural shift in aviation costs that gets passed directly to passengers. This isn't a temporary squeeze.
Why is the UK banning pro-Palestinian commentators while welcoming Israeli officials? What's the logic there?
There isn't one, which is Sultana's point. It's a pattern of asymmetrical treatment that signals whose voices are considered acceptable in Western capitals. It's not about security—it's about whose narrative gets protected.
Trump's Truth Social posts attacking the media seem almost beside the point when there's a ceasefire hanging by a thread. Why is he spending energy on that?
Because for Trump, the narrative is the war. If the media won't tell the story the way he wants it told, the actual military outcome becomes secondary. He's fighting two wars—one in Lebanon and one in the American information space.