US-Israeli relations, once described as "special," have deteriorated significantly recently, "which could also lead to the end of six decades of deep partnership in values, politics, and strategy that has been growing over the years," according to Israeli expert on American affairs, Professor Abraham Ben-Zvi.

In an article published Tuesday in the Israel Hayom newspaper, Ben-Zvi noted that the impression is that US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are "rapidly approaching a head-on collision on critical regional and global issues."

He added that "a swift end to the war in Gaza is seen by Trump as a necessary step in shaping and building his legacy as a tenacious leader who tirelessly seeks to resolve, or at least stabilize, serious conflicts and crises," just as he halted the confrontation between India and Pakistan and may succeed in ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.

According to Ben-Zvi, “The Gaza front holds special significance for Trump’s aspirations to appear as a skilled mediator, as this is a necessary condition for advancing an ambitious plan centered on reshaping the entire Middle East based on American hegemony, supposedly based on deals between Washington and the Gulf states.” Through these deals, the Trump administration would provide modern weapons in exchange for massive Gulf state investments in the American economy, “so that, in the White House’s view, a broad strategic and political alliance could be formed that, with American support and backing, could confront the Iranian threat or any other threat that challenges the stability of the alliance being built.”

He considered that "the central link in this alliance, namely Israeli-Saudi normalization, remains incomplete, because the preconditions set by Washington's preferred partners in Saudi Arabia—an end to the war in Gaza and a preliminary Israeli statement on a political horizon for the Palestinian issue—have not yet been met. Benjamin Netanyahu's government has thus far opted for expanding the ground invasion of Gaza, preferring it to entering the new Middle East as a central player."

He continued, "On the eve of Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, which began today, it is no longer possible to hide the widening rifts between the two allies. In effect, the 'special relationship' between Israel and the United States, the importance of which cannot be underestimated, finds itself under a historic pliers: a real threat to these relations is rising from the left wing of the Democratic Party, while at the same time there are tendencies toward isolationism from the isolationist wing of the Republican Party."

Ben-Zvi observed that "all of this led to growing frustration, anger, and disappointment in the White House toward Netanyahu. At the beginning of the crisis, the ultimate expression of frustration was to hint to Netanyahu that he was 'trampling' on American feet on important issues for them, such as announcing negotiations with Iran without consulting Israel, agreeing to a ceasefire with the Houthis while rocket fire at Israel continued, and bypassing Israel in the political campaign in the region."

"Expressions of discontent are now evident, and it seems that Trump and (his special envoy Steve) Witkoff are having difficulty understanding the strategic logic behind Israel's continued entanglement in the Gaza quagmire. This seems to them to be a pointless and pointless fight. Given that we are talking about a president who is quick to anger and verbally abrasive, and who seeks rapid progress and immediate achievements, it is possible to estimate that in response to Netanyahu's intransigence, a major confrontation will emerge."

According to Ben-Zvi, the direct negotiations between the Trump administration and Hamas, which resulted in the release of Israeli soldier Idan Alexander, who holds American citizenship, "are just one of many steps that could further cloud the sky over the special relationship. Later, things could escalate to the point of Hamas being included in the government in Gaza the next day, pursuing a nuclear agreement with Iran without consulting Israel, and endorsing the Saudi civilian nuclear program without an Israeli green light."

Ben-Zvi concluded, "It currently appears that there is a convergence between the Trump administration's understanding of strategic goals and the positions of the broader Israeli public. This reality makes it difficult for Netanyahu to wage a political battle against the current White House similar to the one he waged against the Obama administration. He and his government, who have prioritized their political survival, lack sufficiently broad domestic Israeli support to successfully wage such a battle in the long term."