According to Reuters, Trump's decision to ignore Israel during his visit to the Middle East is seen as a sign that his administration is focusing on lucrative trade deals with wealthy Gulf states, such as Qatar, which Israel accuses of supporting the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.
Prior to the visit, Israel was experiencing tensions due to US talks with Iran and Trump's decision to halt airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen despite their continued missile attacks against Israel.
While Trump was speaking in Riyadh, air raid sirens were sounding in Israeli cities such as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv following a missile launch from Yemen, according to Hebrew media.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government stood by as the United States negotiated the return of Idan Alexander, the last American captive in Gaza, according to Reuters.
The agency added that Israel's astonishment increased when Trump announced the lifting of sanctions on Syria and called for normalizing relations with the new government in Damascus, which Israel views as a "jihadist regime."
For his part, Trump denied any rift with Israel, believing that strengthening ties with the Gulf states is in its own interest. He said, "It's good for Israel to have this kind of relationship with all the countries of the Middle East."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to comment, other than to thank Trump for his assistance in securing Alexander's release. But the general impression is that Israel is "on the sidelines" amid the reshaping of the Middle East and the international pressure it faces over the war on Gaza, which has jeopardized its hopes of normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia.
This situation has drawn criticism from Israeli commentators, with the right-wing Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom reporting that "the Middle East is being reshaped before our eyes through a series of agreements and meetings, while Israel stands (at best) as a bystander."
Jonathan Panikoff, a former deputy director of Middle East affairs at the CIA, said, "Trump is focusing on trade and investment more than the traditional political issues that bind Washington and Tel Aviv."
Despite the current US president's divergent priorities, Netanyahu has made no secret of his preference for Trump over former US President Joe Biden, who halted some heavy munitions shipments and imposed sanctions on Israeli settler groups that embrace violence.
Pressure on Netanyahu among hardliners and those demanding an end to the war
Netanyahu is facing increasing pressure from religious-nationalist hardliners in his government, who insist on continuing the war in Gaza to achieve a decisive defeat for Hamas. Meanwhile, discontent among Israeli citizens over the war, which has been ongoing for more than 18 months, is growing. So far, Netanyahu has tended to support the hardliners' position.
In contrast, the US administration expresses disappointment with Netanyahu's position, as Trump seeks to quickly end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, in line with his priority of concluding trade deals. Panikoff emphasized that "traditional US-Israeli relations are characterized by diverging priorities."
As US demands for a ceasefire and an agreement with Hamas to release the detainees grow, White House National Security Council spokesman James Hewitt stressed continued cooperation with Israel to free 58 detainees and enhance regional security, asserting that Trump is Israel's "best friend."
Amid these tensions, hardliners in the Israeli government, who had previously welcomed Trump's plan to evacuate Gaza, have remained silent. Meanwhile, an Israeli team is participating in ceasefire talks in Doha under the supervision of US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, while Israeli occupation forces continue their escalation in Gaza.
Despite the pressure, Netanyahu has maintained his commitment to the war's objectives, including dismantling Hamas's military capabilities, and reiterated his statement last Wednesday that "Israel will not stop and will not surrender."
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with full American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, leaving approximately 173,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing.
