Trump freezes Israel out as rift with Netanyahu deepens
The US president is no longer waiting on the Israeli premier to move forward with key regional strategies, including a controversial security pact with Saudi Arabia
THE WORLDVIEW
May 13, 2025
AMERICAN President Donald Trump has reportedly lost patience with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and is no longer willing to wait for Israeli cooperation before advancing American initiatives in West Asia, Israel Hayom said recently.
According to two senior figures close to the president, Trump intends to press ahead with decisions he believes are in the United States’ strategic interests — particularly concerning Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states — without waiting for Netanyahu’s approval.
With regard to a possible trilateral agreement involving the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia, Trump is said to believe that Netanyahu is stalling. The president is unwilling to delay further while waiting for Israel to meet its expected commitments and has resolved to proceed independently.
During Joe Biden’s presidency, negotiations were held between the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia that could have seen Washington enter a defence pact with the kingdom, offer civilian nuclear technology, and sell advanced weaponry — in return for Riyadh normalising relations with Israel.
However, as a condition of such a normalisation agreement, Saudi Arabia demands an end to the war in Gaza and an Israeli commitment to a “horizon for a Palestinian state.”
This is at odds with the stance of senior ministers in Israel’s current government, who have vowed to block any recognition of Palestinian statehood in the occupied West Bank. These ministers have also openly called for the destruction of Gaza, the forced removal of its population under the guise of “voluntary migration,” and the construction of Jewish settlements in the territory.
The Israel Hayom report also notes that Trump was enraged by what he perceived as Netanyahu’s attempt to manipulate US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz—who has since been dismissed—into advocating for American military intervention against Iran.
Although Netanyahu claimed he had only spoken to Waltz once, Trump reportedly remained unconvinced.
This rift may explain why Israel was excluded from the ceasefire Trump brokered with the Ansarallah-led government in Yemen. Following the announcement of the agreement, Israeli officials tasked with liaising with Washington were reportedly unable to obtain details from the White House for a full day.
Furthermore, Trump has not included Israel in his upcoming regional tour, which will take place next week.
The growing distance between the two leaders was further highlighted when Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz publicly declared on Wednesday that Israel must be prepared to face regional threats alone, without US backing.
Defence Minister Katz stated: “Israel must be able to defend itself independently against any threat and any enemy. This has always been true and will remain so in future challenges.”
Trump has come under fire for escalating the US military campaign against Yemen since returning to office in January, including criticism over the lack of transparency regarding American casualties. The ongoing operation has included over 1,000 airstrikes against the Ansarallah-led Yemeni Armed Forces, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Yemenis, many of them civilians.
Writing in Haaretz, Israeli journalist Aluf Benn noted that American presidents have often clashed with Israeli leadership, yet Israel has historically resisted pressure and ultimately secured its aims.
Benn further remarked that Trump is now exploring a diplomatic arrangement with Iran over its nuclear programme—an approach at odds with Netanyahu’s hardline stance. Despite having withdrawn the US from the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018 under Netanyahu’s influence, Trump is now reportedly seeking an agreement with Tehran to halt its nuclear development during his second term.