What Trump Did This Week Could Spell Trouble for Netanyahu — Here’s Why
Jonathan Freedland Reports
he president’s Middle East tour left little doubt — he is willing to abandon a former ally without hesitation, and signs of that shift are already evident.
Trump's Middle East Pivot Should Terrify Netanyahu – and Offer a Sliver of Hope for Gaza
By Jonathan Freedland
It says everything about the dire state of Palestinian prospects that their faintest hope now rests with Donald Trump—a man who once floated the idea of turning Gaza into beachfront real estate after forcibly displacing its population. And yet, in the twisted landscape of today’s Middle East, Trump’s growing frustration with Israel may be the only lever powerful enough to bring this war to an end.
Had any other U.S. president done what Trump did this past week, commentators would be heralding a seismic shift in American foreign policy. But because it's Trump—erratic, impulsive, and transactional—it’s impossible to know whether this moment signals a true realignment or just another short-lived whim.
Still, his recent Middle East tour marked a stunning departure from decades of U.S. policy. Most strikingly, Trump skipped Israel altogether. That alone could be dismissed as symbolic—until you examine what he did do.
In Saudi Arabia, Trump lavished praise on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, striking a massive $142 billion arms deal and declaring the kingdom America’s “strongest partner”—a title once reserved for Israel. Crucially, he asked for nothing in return. There was no push for normalization with Israel. No strings. Just flattery and business.
And it didn’t stop there. Trump welcomed Syria back into the fold, lifting sanctions and praising President Ahmed al-Sharaa—who, until recently, was a wanted man with a $10 million bounty on his head for ties to al-Qaeda. All of this was handed over without concessions on Israeli security.
Then came Trump’s separate agreement with the Houthis in Yemen: they won’t target U.S. ships, but they remain free to fire rockets into Israel. And there was the casual announcement that a nuclear deal with Iran is "very close," disregarding Israel’s long-standing insistence that only military force can curb Tehran’s ambitions.
Even more galling for Netanyahu: Trump worked directly with Hamas to secure the release of a U.S.-Israeli citizen—without involving the Israeli government. Netanyahu reportedly learned about it only after the fact.
These moves make one thing clear: Trump is charting his own path in the Middle East, with no deference to America's traditional ally. His message to Netanyahu? You’re no longer indispensable.
Much of this stems from Trump's frustration with Netanyahu’s inability—or unwillingness—to bring the war with Hamas to a close. Trump wants quiet. He wants the region pacified and profitable. And Netanyahu is not delivering.
This exasperation was echoed by Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, who told Israeli hostage families this week: “We want to bring the hostages home, but Israel is not willing to end the war. Israel is prolonging it.”
Netanyahu’s motivations, of course, are painfully transparent. Facing trial for corruption, he knows his political survival is his only path to staying out of prison. And to stay in power, he must appease far-right extremists like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich—men who openly dream of a Gaza emptied of Palestinians and repopulated by Jewish settlers.
The result is catastrophic. Since March 2, Israel has blocked all humanitarian aid into Gaza. This isn't speculation; it's policy. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has called it a "pressure lever" against Hamas. But starvation isn’t targeted—it’s collective punishment. A war crime. And a moral outrage.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes continue to kill civilians in the name of targeting Hamas commanders. But mass hunger—indiscriminate by nature—cannot be justified as a military tactic.
This disaster was years in the making, but the current horror is the result of two converging failures: Hamas’s barbaric attacks on October 7, and the Israeli government’s descent into extremist ideology under a prime minister desperate to save himself.
In this bleak context, Trump’s unorthodox and self-serving approach might be the only force capable of shifting the balance. He could continue making deals that marginalize Israel without helping the Palestinians. Or, he could act on his own words. As he left the region, Trump acknowledged the crisis: “People in Gaza are starving,” he said. “We’re going to get that taken care of.”
He has the leverage to do just that. He could force Netanyahu to accept the deal that’s long been on the table: an end to the war in exchange for the release of hostages.
Of course, what this region desperately needs is new leadership—on both sides. Leaders willing to reject violence and extremism, and to imagine a future shared rather than divided. But until that day comes, millions of lives remain in the unpredictable, erratic hands of Donald Trump.