The Israeli authorities are looking for a way to regain the favor of US President Donald Trump. The concluded tour of the head of the White House in the Middle East has left the government, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, feeling that Washington is now ignoring the interests of the Jewish state. Israeli officials claim that Netanyahu’s advisers are now trying to find an approach to the American leader. Nevertheless, for now, Israel continues to do what is an irritant for Trump – it is deepening its offensive operation in the Gaza Strip.
The fact that Israel is trying to adapt its approaches to the new situation in relations with the United States was reported by sources of the American edition of Al-Monitor in Netanyahu’s entourage. According to them, the Prime Minister and his closest advisers are at a loss in connection with the decisions that were made by Trump during his completed Middle East tour. These include the announcement of the normalization of relations between the United States and Syria and the lifting of decades–old sanctions, as well as the conclusion of mega-deals with the Gulf states in the arms sector. The authorities of the Jewish state fear that supplying the countries of the region with advanced American technology could undermine its qualitative military superiority.
Another issue that causes disappointment among the Israeli authorities is the continued US reliance on concluding a nuclear deal with Iran, Israeli officials tell Al-Monitor. “Destroying Iran’s nuclear program has been Netanyahu’s primary mission for about 25 years,” one of the sources recalled. – He pinned all his hopes on Trump. At the end of his first term, Trump even considered attacking Iran’s nuclear program, but his security chiefs stopped him. And suddenly (now, during the second presidential term. – “NG”) he starts negotiations with the Iranians without consultations, without prior notification (to Israel. – “NG”)”.
Now, representatives of Netanyahu’s inner circle are wondering how susceptible Trump might be to potential diplomatic pressure, sources tell Al-Monitor. Behind closed doors, the Israeli prime minister’s aides are discussing whether the Israeli leadership can enlist the support of Trump’s evangelical Christian supporters to influence the head of the White House. Other options include trying to influence the American leader through the American Jewish community to convey concern about the changing U.S. policy in the region. However, Al-Monitor’s interlocutors admit that the levers of influence on the American leader are very limited.
“We have always said that the alliance with the United States is based mainly on the common values of the two countries,” says one of the officials close to Netanyahu. “But Trump is driven primarily by business and monetary interests, and in his opinion, Netanyahu’s behavior hinders this.” At the same time, officials from the prime minister’s entourage do not hide that they initially relied on those close to Trump, including his son–in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former assistant to the US President for national security Michael Waltz, who recently lost his post after it became clear that he had discussed with Netanyahu a scenario with a strike. a strike on Iran bypassing the American leader.
All these bets didn’t pay off. Netanyahu’s aides suspect that the reason for this is American megadonor Miriam Adelson, who, according to some assumptions, is now exerting great influence on Trump. She is an ardent supporter of former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, one of Netanyahu’s critics and prominent figures in the Israeli opposition.
The ongoing Israeli operation in Gaza proved to be a serious irritant for Trump. On May 17, the Israeli authorities announced that they intend to expand the offensive campaign in the enclave in order to put pressure on Hamas and release the remaining hostages abducted during the bloody attack on October 7, 2023. And on May 18, the Israel Defense Forces began fighting in the northern and southern regions of the Gaza Strip as part of a large-scale ground operation codenamed “Gideon’s Chariots.”
Moreover, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continues its targeted purge of Hamas leaders. So, on May 18, the Hamas movement confirmed that the body of the commander of its military wing, Mohammed Sinwar, the brother of the murdered group ideologue Yahya Sinwar, was found in one of the tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip. Reports of its liquidation have appeared recently, but there has been no official confirmation so far. It is believed that he was one of the main opponents of concluding a deal with Israel, mainly on Israeli terms.
So far, representatives of the Trump administration have refrained from publicly criticizing Netanyahu. Speaking on CBS News the day before, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio remarked: “We are not going to do anything that could undermine Israel and its security, but at the same time, if possible, find a way that will allow the release of more hostages, including those who are alive, as well as transfer the bodies of the dead to relatives and eventually end this war so that the Gazans stand up.” On the path of peace and prosperity and freed from Hamas, we will study this issue.” He noted that the American authorities “have made some progress,” but “there is still a lot of work to do.”