Renowned American author and analyst Thomas Friedman said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government "is not an ally of the United States."

Friedman asserted that Netanyahu is prioritizing his personal interests over those of Israel and the United States.

In an article published Friday in The New York Times titled "This Israeli Government Is Not Our Ally," Friedman addressed a direct message to US President Donald Trump, praising his failure to schedule a meeting with Netanyahu in his upcoming meetings with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, viewing it as evidence that he is "beginning to understand a vital truth."

Friedman added that the current Israeli government "threatens core American interests in the region," and that "Netanyahu is no friend of the United States."

He pointed out that Netanyahu "considers Trump naive," and that the US president's administration "has proven to him, through its independent negotiations with Hamas, Iran, and the Houthis, that it is not for sale."

Friedman described the Israeli government as "extreme right-wing," not seeking coexistence with its Arab neighbors, but rather prioritizing "annexing the West Bank, expelling Palestinians from Gaza, and rebuilding Israeli settlements there."

The author noted that Netanyahu's refusal to support a peace plan that would have normalized relations with Saudi Arabia stems from his desire to preserve his political position and avoid prosecution and imprisonment on corruption charges.

He pointed out that Israel could have achieved major strategic gains from a tripartite peace agreement involving the Palestinians and Saudi Arabia, but Netanyahu "sacrificed all of that for his own personal gain."

"He (Netanyahu) has been fooling everyone for two years," Friedman added.

He stressed that "Netanyahu plans to reoccupy Gaza, not to replace Hamas with a moderate alternative, but rather to perpetuate a permanent occupation that will strangle the Palestinians and force them to leave."

Friedman also warned that Gaza could become "a new Vietnam on the shores of the Mediterranean," given the plans being prepared that include the use of excessive force and the widespread destruction of infrastructure. This could lead to "more Israeli leaders being accused of war crimes," according to analysis he quoted from Israeli military expert Amos Harel.

He stressed that "this trend not only threatens Israel, but also harms the United States' allies in the Middle East," especially Jordan and Egypt, which fear that the goal is "to push the Palestinians toward the territories of these two countries."

Friedman also warned that "destroying any hope for the Palestinians will undermine the desire to expand Arab-Israeli-American security integration and weaken Washington's position in favor of Iran and China."

The American writer addressed Trump, saying, "Mr. President, you have good, independent instincts about Middle East issues. Stick to them. Otherwise, you must prepare for the bitter reality that Jews will in the future live in a Jewish state that is ostracized by the world."

At the end of his article, the author quoted the Israeli newspaper Haaretz as saying that more than 52,000 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, including 18,000 children.

He added, "We can continue to ignore these numbers, question their credibility, or justify them with all the tools of denial, evasion, and normalization, but nothing will change the painful truth: Israel is the one who killed them. This happened with our own hands. We must open our eyes and shout at the top of our voices: Stop the war."

The American writer's article echoes a report in the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Friday, which claimed that Trump was "fed up" with Netanyahu because of the latter's refusal to act in accordance with Washington's directives regarding the war on the Gaza Strip.

The newspaper explained that Trump and his administration are "simply fed up" with Israel, represented by Netanyahu, "refusing to act in accordance with the United States' vision in the Middle East."

She added that Americans "feel that Israel is putting many obstacles in the way of Trump winning the Nobel Peace Prize."

Trump has previously stated on several occasions that he considers himself eligible to win the Nobel Peace Prize, whether through his efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine or his mediation of a broad peace agreement with Israel that includes Palestine and other countries in the region.

The Hebrew newspaper Haaretz quoted an unnamed informed source on Friday as saying that "the Trump administration is exerting intense pressure on Israel to reach an agreement with Hamas before the president's upcoming visit to the region."

Trump is scheduled to begin his visit to the Gulf next Tuesday, which will include stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE.