Key Considerations for Trump’s Upcoming Middle East Visit

President Trump,

Among the few initiatives you have pursued since taking office, your approach to the Middle East stands out. Your upcoming trip to the region, which includes meetings with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar—but notably excludes any planned meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—indicates a growing recognition of a crucial reality: the current Israeli government poses challenges to fundamental U.S. interests in the area. Netanyahu is no longer a reliable ally.

It appears Netanyahu may have initially believed he could influence your administration to his advantage. However, your independent negotiations with Hamas, Iran, and the Houthis have sent a clear message that you will not be manipulated, causing considerable unease in Jerusalem.

While the Israeli populace generally continues to view itself as a steadfast partner to the American people, this government—marked by ultranationalist and messianic policies—is diverging from that tradition. For the first time, the Israeli administration’s main focus is not fostering peace with additional Arab neighbors or pursuing the security and coexistence benefits that would follow. Instead, it prioritizes annexing the West Bank, displacing Palestinians in Gaza, and expanding Israeli settlements.

Accepting that Israel currently has a government that no longer functions as an American ally is a difficult reality for many Washington supporters of Israel, but it is one that must be acknowledged.

Pursuing its hardline agenda, this Netanyahu government is actively undermining U.S. interests in the region. Your refusal to be dictated to by Netanyahu, unlike some of your predecessors, is commendable and essential to maintaining the security framework established by earlier administrations.

The existing alliance between the U.S., Arab states, and Israel was originally crafted by Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger following the 1973 October War. Its purpose was to diminish Russian influence and establish American dominance in the Middle East, a strategy that has served U.S. geopolitical and economic interests for decades. This diplomacy led to the 1974 disengagement agreements between Israel, Syria, and Egypt, which laid the foundation for the Camp David Accords and later the Oslo Peace Accords, shaping a region dominated by the U.S., its Arab allies, and Israel.