US President Donald Trump raised worries over the last seven days about possibly decreasing backing for Israel during his Middle East tour , where Israel isn’t an intended stop. Nonetheless, his activities on this journey up until now indicate that Israel remains on his thoughts.
Trump’s Middle East tour I saw him holding meetings with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, Syria, and the Palestinian Authority. This was seen by numerous experts and analysts as a snub toward Israel. After all, America’s purported closest ally did not make the list.
The recent headlines have centered mainly around Trump obtaining a pledge of $600 billion from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for investments in the U.S. Additionally, the U.S. consented to provide Saudi Arabia with an armaments package valued at almost $142 billion, which the White House termed as the "biggest defense collaboration deal" ever executed by the U.S.
It has also centered around Trump’s interest in accepting a $400 million aircraft from Qatar for use as Air Force One, along with the recent bipartisan resistance in Congress.
Nevertheless, during those very talks and deliberations, Trump urged nations in the Middle East to become part of the Abraham Accords.
Initially, on Tuesday night, he expressed hope that Saudi Arabia might become part of the Abraham Accords. While acknowledging that this could happen at some unspecified future date, his comment clearly indicated that one key focus for Trump remains ensuring support for Israel.
On that very day, he stated that he would instruct the removal of sanctions on Syria following the request of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince.
I have decided to lift the sanctions against Syria so they can get a shot at achieving greatness," Trump said at an investment conference in Riyadh. "This is their moment to stand out. We're removing all of them... Best wishes, Syria; prove to us what you've got.
The next day, during his meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Trump encouraged him to endorse the Abraham Accords with Israel.
According to an official statement from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Trump informed the Syrian leader of "a significant chance to achieve something remarkable for his nation." The U.S. president further expressed his desire to improve relations with Sharaf.
During the conversation, Shaara reaffirmed his dedication to the 1974 agreement for disengagement with Israel, as stated by the White House. He also showed enthusiasm about potential collaborative initiatives between the United States and Syria aimed at fighting terrorism and destroying chemical weapons.
A lot of people were upset when, on Wednesday, Trump told journalists as he boarded Air Force One that "Without the United States, these hostages wouldn’t be alive right now. Around 20 are still alive, and we'll rescue them gradually."
Trump was not wrong
Nevertheless, according to recent news accounts, the U.S. president isn’t mistaken: Israeli media stated on Tuesday that Edan Alexander, the 21-year-old American-Israeli who was freed on Monday, informed President Trump that his treatment as a captive had notably improved ever since Trump assumed office.
In the end, it was Trump’s team who negotiated with Hamas to secure Alexander's release. When the agreement was unveiled on Sunday, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement aiming to portray the outcome positively and suggest that Israel played an active role. However, this overlooks the reality that it was actually Trump’s representatives who were directly involved in facilitating Alexander's freedom on the ground.
Therefore, even though numerous people criticized Trump for seemingly claiming credit, some argued that he was correct, suggesting this indicates the Israeli government isn’t doing sufficient work towards rescuing the hostages.
Despite this, regarding President Trump’s brief visit to the Middle East, the prominence Israel held within just two days of talks definitively counters any assertion that the country ranks low among his administration’s concerns.
Moreover, this indicated that in the foreseeable future, Israel might secure highly beneficial deals with nearby countries. Even though these nations aren’t immediate neighbors, their entry into the Abraham Accords could serve as an initial step for the nation to boost its diplomacy in the Middle East, restore its global image, and eventually gain sufficient support to exert pressure on Hamas, leading to a conclusive resolution of the conflict.