A former US official told Al-Quds correspondent that for now, it appears as though Trump will continue his "cold" approach to his relationship with Netanyahu, even as his aides insist his relationship with the Israeli prime minister remains strong. It also appears as though the US president no longer treats Israel as an indispensable state in the Middle East or the sole democracy in a sea of tyranny.
But according to the former official, who requested anonymity for privacy reasons, "It is unlikely that the United States will change its relationship with Israel. This is a very strong, historical relationship, deeply rooted from the founding of Israel until today, despite the change of American presidents and Israeli leaders."
He added: "Israel and America are a cohesive unit economically, militarily, intelligence-wise, culturally, and heritage-wise, and the United States is Israel's largest supporter. The administration supported Israel with more than $22 billion over the course of 15 months, gave it the green light to brutally and relentlessly bombard Gaza, and prevented the world from condemning Israel in international forums. The Trump administration has continued the same approach, if not worse. In Gaza, it allowed Israel and Netanyahu to violate the ceasefire and allowed Israel to impose a complete blockade on the Gaza Strip, despite widespread international opposition."
According to the former official, "Trump's electoral base fully supports Israel. Every official in the US government fully supports Israel, from the Vice President to the Secretary of State, to the Secretary of Defense, to the Director of the CIA, to his Middle East negotiator, Witkoff, and to Trump's ambassador to Israel, who fully embraces the Israeli position."
In this context, the New York Times reported yesterday that regarding Iran, Gaza, Syria, and Yemen, US President Donald Trump is moving forward with his Middle East policies without Israel, reshaping decades of foreign policy. It noted that when Trump shook hands with the new Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and promised to lift sanctions on Syria at the Saudi royal palace last week, it was clear evidence of how Trump's Middle East diplomacy has virtually marginalized Israel.
But there is no indication that the United States is abandoning its historic ties with Israel, or that it will halt its military and economic support for it. During his flight from Riyadh to Doha, Trump dismissed concerns about Israel being marginalized. He told reporters who raised the issue of the estrangement between the United States and Israel, "No, not at all. It's a good thing for Israel to have a relationship like I have with these countries, the countries of the Middle East, almost all of them."
According to the newspaper, "Trump's five-day tour of the Middle East last week highlighted a new dynamic, one in which Israel—and Netanyahu in particular—have become an afterthought. In Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, Trump sought to negotiate peace agreements with Iran and Yemen, and struck trillions of dollars in trade deals with wealthy Gulf states. He didn't even stop in Israel."
The newspaper quotes Itamar Rabinovich, the former Israeli ambassador to the United States, as saying: "The general feeling is that attention is shifting, particularly toward the Gulf states, where the money is."
Rabinovich added, "Trump seems to have lost much of his interest in working with Netanyahu to stop the war in Gaza, because he feels there is no point. Netanyahu is sticking to his position and is not backing down. Hamas is not backing down. It seems like a dead end with no hope."
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A former US official told Al-Quds: Trump will continue his "cold" approach to Netanyahu.