It's hard not to contrast the warm meetings at the White House and the cordial hospitality provided by the Trump administration to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the four difficult years under President Joe Biden. The improved relationship between the two leaders has had a direct impact on Israel's security in the region, allowing for near-complete backing of Israeli demands in the Gaza campaign and even giving Israel a foothold in Trump's global strategy.
However, at the end of the day, Trump did not tell Netanyahu he was willing to lift the new tariffs. Instead, he brushed the issue aside, saying he was already giving Israel a lot of money - $4 billion. On the matter of Turkey, Trump had nothing but praise for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while claiming he could resolve disputes between the countries over Syria thanks to his personal relationship with the Turkish leader.
Regarding the hostages, Trump offered no meaningful update and did not directly address the new Egyptian proposal. He did, however, announce alongside Netanyahu that he was entering into negotiations with Iran, vowing that Iran would not obtain nuclear weapons. He issued a direct threat that Iran would suffer consequences if it failed to cooperate in the talks set to begin on Saturday. Once again standing beside Netanyahu, Trump set a deadline for the Iran talks and pledged that things would go badly for Iran if it failed to commit, effectively paving the way for Israel to act if the negotiations break down.
Is this what the prime minister was hoping for? In the absence of unequivocal statements from a US president usually known for his bluntness, it's hard to say.
Trump did promise Netanyahu mediation with Erdogan, who is trying to seize control in Syria, as well as support if Iran fails to engage seriously in the talks. Still, expectations from the new American leader were for far more substantial declarations, for what Israelis call besorot (good tidings).
Trump had set those expectations himself in past meetings when he rushed Netanyahu to the White House and handed him recognition of the Golan Heights and peace accords. For now, it seems Trump is still letting Netanyahu carry out the promise he made in that very room: to eliminate terrorism.
