Trump journey stirs Israeli unease over Saudi talks, Houthi ceasefire

[ad_1] President Donald Trump will go to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates subsequent week to advance a flurry of high-stakes negotiations, however his journey comes as cracks appear to have appeared in his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On the agenda are reviving hostage talks with Israel and Hamas, exploring an off-ramp for the Russia-Ukraine conflict and probably a civil nuclear cope with Saudi Arabia, even when the dominion refuses to normalize ties with Israel.

Nonetheless, an obvious chill between Trump and Netanyahu has grabbed the eye of Center East watchers.

Yanir Cozin, a correspondent for Israeli Military Radio, claimed this week that Trump had "minimize contact" with the Israeli chief. That report has not been independently confirmed, nevertheless it aligns with an rising notion in Israeli political circles that the Trump-Netanyahu axis could also be fraying.

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<source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/343/192/2025-05-07t140037z_1454237171_rc26tdac90r3_rtrmadp_3_israel-palestinians-usa-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/686/384/2025-05-07t140037z_1454237171_rc26tdac90r3_rtrmadp_3_israel-palestinians-usa-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="192" width="343"><source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/672/378/2025-05-07t140037z_1454237171_rc26tdac90r3_rtrmadp_3_israel-palestinians-usa-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/1344/756/2025-05-07t140037z_1454237171_rc26tdac90r3_rtrmadp_3_israel-palestinians-usa-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/931/523/2025-05-07t140037z_1454237171_rc26tdac90r3_rtrmadp_3_israel-palestinians-usa-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/1862/1046/2025-05-07t140037z_1454237171_rc26tdac90r3_rtrmadp_3_israel-palestinians-usa-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"><source media="(min-width: 1280px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/720/405/2025-05-07t140037z_1454237171_rc26tdac90r3_rtrmadp_3_israel-palestinians-usa-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/1440/810/2025-05-07t140037z_1454237171_rc26tdac90r3_rtrmadp_3_israel-palestinians-usa-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="405" width="720"> President Donald Trump, proper, meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu throughout a gathering the place Trump introduced nuclear talks with Iran, Washington, D.C., April 7, 2025 ( REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt)

"There's all the time a technique to the president's insanity, so to talk," stated Scott Feltman, govt vp of the One Israel Fund. "There's a prevailing thought that [Trump] very a lot needs Israel to face by itself two toes… To some extent, he could also be giving the prime minister just a little little bit of powerful love."

Sources told Reuters Trump is ready to maneuver ahead with a civil nuclear cope with Riyadh even when Saudi Arabia holds off on normalizing relations with Israel – a dramatic shift from each his first administration and Biden’s, which had tied such offers to broader normalization objectives.

For Israel, that shift could also be unsettling. Riyadh has lengthy insisted on the creation of a Palestinian state as a precondition for full ties with Israel, an consequence Netanyahu has rejected.

Over the weekend, it was revealed Trump was in talks with Doha officers a couple of potential deal for Qatar to loan the U.S. a jet to interchange Air Power One. Israeli supporters have lengthy been skeptical of Qatar, claiming it has ties to Hamas.

In the meantime, frustration in Jerusalem grew this week when the U.S. reached a ceasefire settlement with Yemen’s Houthi militants. The deal, brokered with out Israeli enter, required the Houthis to halt assaults on Purple Sea delivery lanes however made no point out of their assaults on Israel.

"Trump, to a big extent, principally threw Israel underneath the bus," stated Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence official and regional analyst. "I believe the Israeli authorities is puzzled, embarrassed … notably within the context of the Houthis."

Netanyahu made clear Israel wouldn't depend on the U.S. to deal with the Houthi risk. "Israel will defend itself by its personal forces," he stated Thursday, with Protection Minister Israel Katz echoing that place.

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<source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/343/192/2025-05-12t081236z_735560614_rc28geac6ha8_rtrmadp_3_usa-trump-gulf-saudi-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/686/384/2025-05-12t081236z_735560614_rc28geac6ha8_rtrmadp_3_usa-trump-gulf-saudi-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="192" width="343"><source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/672/378/2025-05-12t081236z_735560614_rc28geac6ha8_rtrmadp_3_usa-trump-gulf-saudi-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/1344/756/2025-05-12t081236z_735560614_rc28geac6ha8_rtrmadp_3_usa-trump-gulf-saudi-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/931/523/2025-05-12t081236z_735560614_rc28geac6ha8_rtrmadp_3_usa-trump-gulf-saudi-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/1862/1046/2025-05-12t081236z_735560614_rc28geac6ha8_rtrmadp_3_usa-trump-gulf-saudi-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"><source media="(min-width: 1280px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/720/405/2025-05-12t081236z_735560614_rc28geac6ha8_rtrmadp_3_usa-trump-gulf-saudi-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/05/1440/810/2025-05-12t081236z_735560614_rc28geac6ha8_rtrmadp_3_usa-trump-gulf-saudi-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="405" width="720"> U.S. and Saudi flags flutter on the main highways of Riyadh forward of the arrival of President Donald Trump to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Might 12, 2025. (REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed)

Regardless of the rhetoric, the U.S. continues to help Israel’s defenses. On Friday, a U.S. THAAD missile system intercepted rockets fired towards Israel by Houthi forces.

"America isn’t required to get permission from Israel to make some kind of association that might get the Houthis from firing on our ships," U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee advised Israel’s Channel 12 this week.

Nonetheless, Huckabee shot down any report of tensions between the 2 world leaders.

"It’s reckless & irresponsible for press to allege that @POTUS and @IsraeliPM will not be getting alongside," Huckabee stated in a publish on X. "Bibi has spent extra time with @realDonaldTrump than I've in previous 3 months & I’m his ambassador! The connection between US & Israel stays STRONG!"

"Israel has had no higher good friend in its historical past than President Trump. We proceed to work intently with our ally Israel to make sure remaining hostages in Gaza are freed, Iran by no means obtains a nuclear weapon, and to strengthen regional safety within the Center East," Nationwide Safety Council spokesman James Hewitt advised Fox Information Digital in response to the reviews of tensions.

"It’s reckless & irresponsible for press to allege that @POTUS and @IsraeliPM will not be getting alongside," U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, left, stated. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Put up by way of Getty Photographs)

Different specialists warning towards studying an excessive amount of into the friction.

"The Israelis by no means had any false impressions that the U.S. was placing the Houthis to defend Israel," stated Gregg Roman of the Center East Discussion board. "It was to guard world commerce... And it’s not just like the U.S. has deserted Israel."

Roman additionally downplayed tensions over the potential Saudi nuclear deal. "I believe a safer Saudi Arabia , on the finish of the day, will result in a safer Israel."

Including to the regional uncertainty is Netanyahu’s silence on Iran. Whereas his authorities has tallied current features towards Iranian proxies – Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Assad regime – he has to this point avoided weighing in publicly on nuclear negotiations with Tehran.

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Nonetheless, Netanyahu says he stays in shut contact with the Trump crew about Iran. "I stated to President Trump that I hope that that is what the negotiators will do," he just lately advised reporters. "We’re in shut contact with the USA. However I stated in some way—Iran is not going to have nuclear weapons."

Trump "will not be scheduled to go to Israel on this journey, and I truly suppose that which may very effectively be factor, as a result of he could discover that he hears from the Sunni states that they are simply as upset in regards to the path that's going down proper now with negotiations with Iran," stated Feltman. " They've simply as a lot to lose from a nuclear Iranian regime."