Has Trump really turned his back on Bibi and Israel?
The US president has reportedly grown so “disappointed” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he will continue his Middle East policy objectives without Israel.
According to multiple Israeli media outlets, : Trump is completely “done with Netanyahu”
Israeli Army Radio reported that sources close to the US president had informed the Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs that Trump had decided to cut off contact with Netanyahu.
Israel Hayom reports: Earlier this week, we reported that Netanyahu was frustrated with Trump. Now it appears the American president has also lost patience with his Israeli counterpart. Two senior figures in Trump’s circle stated in recent closed-door conversations, whose contents reached Israel Hayom, that Trump has decided to stop waiting for Israel and instead move forward with Middle East initiatives without Netanyahu.
The sources explained that the president wishes to make decisions he believes will advance American interests, particularly regarding Saudi Arabia and Gulf states. Israel was supposed to participate in some of these steps, referring primarily to normalization with Saudi Arabia. However, according to Trump’s perspective, Netanyahu is delaying making the necessary decisions. Given this situation, the president refuses to wait until Israel takes its expected actions and is proceeding without Israeli participation.
It should be noted that as part of normalization with Israel, Saudi Arabia expects an end to the war in Gaza and an Israeli declaration about a “horizon for a Palestinian state,” or similar terminology. Minister Ron Dermer, who manages this issue, has spent numerous hours crafting language related to Israel’s willingness to establish a “Palestinian state” in the future, given public opposition to the concept and the political sensitivity of the term in Israel.
Furthermore, Trump is furious about what he views as an attempt by Netanyahu and his team to pressure National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who has since been dismissed from his position, toward military action in Iran. Netanyahu claimed in response to the publication of this matter in The Washington Post that he spoke with Waltz only once. However, Trump remained unconvinced.
The president’s anger likely explains Israel’s exclusion from both the announcement regarding the ceasefire with the Houthis and Israel’s inclusion in the agreement. It’s worth noting that even after Trump announced the agreement with the Houthis, Israeli representatives handling relations with the US were unable to obtain information from White House officials about developments for a full 24 hours. Beyond Israel’s exclusion, Trump is not currently scheduled to visit Israel during his regional trip next week.
The disconnect between Trump and Netanyahu appears to be the backdrop for statements by the prime minister and Defense Minister Israel Katz over the past day, suggesting they are preparing for a scenario where Israel stands alone. When asked by his spokesman, “Can Israel fight alone against the Houthi threat?” Netanyahu responded that “the rule I have established is that Israel will defend itself by its own forces.” On Thursday morning, Defense Minister Katz stated that “Israel must be able to defend itself by its own forces against any threat and any enemy. This was true facing many challenges in the past, and will also be true in the future.”
The Times Of Israel confirmed the news and also reported: On a deal with Saudi Arabia, Trump wants Israel to be a central part of an agreement, but “Netanyahu is delaying making the necessary decisions,” writes Israel Hayom’s Ariel Kahana, who interviewed Trump at Mar-A-Lago last year.
Trump is also still upset with Netanyahu and his circle over what he sees as an attempt to push the White House into military action against Iran’s nuclear program, say the sources.
Israeli officials were caught off guard by Trump’s announcement that the US had reached a ceasefire with the Houthis in Yemen this week, and by the start of US-Iran nuclear talks in April.