Sources close to US President Donald Trump report that he is disappointed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Relations between Prime Minister Netanyahu and the US president have reached a low point with mutual disappointment on both sides. Sources in the president's inner circle report that he has grown increasingly frustrated with the Israeli prime minister.
Earlier this week, we reported that Netanyahu was frustrated with Trump. Now it appears the American president has also lost patience with his Israeli counterpart. Two senior figures in Trump's circle stated in recent closed-door conversations, whose contents reached Israel Hayom, that Trump has decided to stop waiting for Israel and instead move forward with Middle East initiatives without Netanyahu.
The sources explained that the president wishes to make decisions he believes will advance American interests, particularly regarding Saudi Arabia and Gulf states. Israel was supposed to participate in some of these steps, referring primarily to normalization with Saudi Arabia. However, according to Trump's perspective, Netanyahu is delaying making the necessary decisions. Given this situation, the president refuses to wait until Israel takes its expected actions and is proceeding without Israeli participation.
It should be noted that as part of normalization with Israel, Saudi Arabia expects an end to the war in Gaza and an Israeli declaration about a "horizon for a Palestinian state," or similar terminology. Minister Ron Dermer, who manages this issue, has spent numerous hours crafting language related to Israel's willingness to establish a "Palestinian state" in the future, given public opposition to the concept and the political sensitivity of the term in Israel.
Furthermore, Trump is furious about what he views as an attempt by Netanyahu and his team to pressure National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who has since been dismissed from his position, toward military action in Iran. Netanyahu claimed in response to the publication of this matter in The Washington Post that he spoke with Waltz only once. However, Trump remained unconvinced.
The president's anger likely explains Israel's exclusion from both the announcement regarding the ceasefire with the Houthis and Israel's inclusion in the agreement. It's worth noting that even after Trump announced the agreement with the Houthis, Israeli representatives handling relations with the US were unable to obtain information from White House officials about developments for a full 24 hours. Beyond Israel's exclusion, Trump is not currently scheduled to visit Israel during his regional trip next week.
The disconnect between Trump and Netanyahu appears to be the backdrop for statements by the prime minister and Defense Minister Israel Katz over the past day, suggesting they are preparing for a scenario where Israel stands alone. When asked by his spokesman, "Can Israel fight alone against the Houthi threat?" Netanyahu responded that "the rule I have established is that Israel will defend itself by its own forces." On Thursday morning, Defense Minister Katz stated that "Israel must be able to defend itself by its own forces against any threat and any enemy. This was true facing many challenges in the past, and will also be true in the future."
