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The meeting in Washington between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump is likely to set a new tone and a new page in Israel-US relations, after a sometimes tense relations during the Biden administration.
The two leaders are expected to address the future of the Gaza ceasefire and Iran.
Noteworthy is that Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to be hosted by Trump since his inauguration, a month ago. Yet the US president, although staunchly pro-Israel, has policy goals for the Middle East that not always coincide with Netanyahu’s interests.
They meet just as indirect negotiations are to resume this week between Israel and Hamas on the second stage of the ceasefire deal and hostage release.
The two leaders are expected to hold a joint press conference.
Before the meeting, Trump told reporters that discussions with Israel and other countries on the Middle East were “progressing.” But he offered no details.
In the past, Trump predicted more Abraham type accords in the Middle East, as the region is at a critical juncture, with the Gaza truce still fragile, an uneasy Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement in Lebanon marred by clashes and nearing possible expiration in coming weeks and concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions persisting despite its weakened position, after the fall of Assad in Syria and the developments in the region.
In his first term, Trump helped Netanyahu reach a series of successes, such as the Abraham Accords, the relocation of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and somewhat normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states.
Donald Trump remains a strong supporter of Israel and he took credit for helping broker the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas even before he returned to the White House, by sending his envoy, Steve Witkoff . But he also insist on peace and repeatedly said he wants to end the wars in the Middle East.
The country he mentions most often is Saudi Arabia and said he wants a renewed effort toward a historic normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab power, a scenario that probably sends shivers in Tehran.
Precisely this insistence of Trump on ending conflicts in the Middle East, as unrealistic it may seem, has created uncertainty over how much leeway Trump would give Netanyahu to act in the region, especially in regards to Iran.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu is under pressure from far-right members of his coalition who threaten to leave the government unless Israel restarts the fighting in Gaza to fulfill his pledge to obliterate Iran-backed Hamas.
And such a move would impede Trump’s goal to bring the Saudis to the negotiating table with Israel, for an Abraham like accord.
Yet it is clear that Netanyahu will feel more comfortable in Trump’s White House than in Biden’s, because although the democrat president maintained military support for Israel after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, the Biden administration often criticized Netanyahu for the high Palestinian civilian death toll and Netanyahu’s defiance of some U.S. demands, not to mention some restrictions on certain military aid or acquisitions, such as the blocking of a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel.
Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is recognized for having played a key role in tandem with the Biden administration to reach the long-negociated Gaza deal before the Jan. 20 transfer of power in the U.S. and is expected to be heavily involved in the next round.
So far, in the first phase of the agreement, Hamas released 18 Israeli hostages and Israel released hundreds of jailed Palestinians.
On Monday, Trump admitted to reporters that there’s no absolute certainty the ceasefire would hold, as his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff added: “We’re certainly hopeful.”
Trump and Netanyahu have both said they want to include Saudi Arabia in new regional arrangements building on the Abraham Accords, an effort that could help heavily condition into inaction and isolate Iran, under increased geopolitical pressure.
But, while the world and the public opinion in Israel is increasingly supporting a two state solution, Netanyahu is adamant in his opposition. This is what may be an obstacle to any deal with Saudi Arabia, as Riyadh wants at least a roadmap or at least some steps towards a Palestinian state, before entering more consistent and out of dark corners relation with Israel.
As for the rest of the international community, of which the Israeli prime minister doesn’t seem to care much, while he is clearly more and more isolated and having an arrest warrant on his name from the International Criminal Court on allegations of war crimes, there has been uproar and indignation to the idea recently expressed by Trump that the Palestinians from Gaza should be moved to neighboring countries such as Egypt and Jordan, an internationally unlawful potential displacement backed by the Israeli far right.
The Egyptian and Jordanian governments and other Arab states have outright rejected the idea, so did Europe.
According to press agencies, pro-Palestinian activists in US as well as those calling for the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas are to organize separate protests to coincide with Netanyahu’s visit. While in Washington, Benjamin Netanyahu is to meet other senior Trump aides as well as congressional leaders. He is also expected to seek and get assurances of continued U.S. weapons supplies, as shortly after Donald Trump returned to the White House, he approved a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel that the former administration had blocked.
Before leaving for America, Netanyahu clearly set his agenda by saying that he hopes his talks in Washington will help further redraw the map of the Middle East. That also means Iran will be high on the list of topics and the regime in Tehran knows that with Trump in the White House has to play the negotiation card and wait, without any brazen moves. Tehran has not forgoten and probably learned the lesson of not stepping on Trumps toes. Paradoxically, Trump, the US president who abruptly destroyed the nuclear deal with Iran in 2018, may be, with his declared wish for no conflicts in the Middle East, the only one to block Netanyahu’s idea that Iran may no longer be a threat only through military means.
Yet, both Trump and Netanyahu have vowed to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons and that’s why there’s apprehension in Iran that the new American president might let Netanyahu hit Iranian nuclear sites.
Carmen Gavrila is a senior foreign affairs correspondent focusing on the Middle East, working for the Romanian Public Radio – Radio Romania News
GSPI does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of GSPI, its staff, or its trustees.
