In Israel, known as a key ally of the United States, there is growing confusion over the unexpected approach of the Donald Trump administration. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 13th, local time, that there are questions arising about whether Israel is being sidelined in Trump’s “America First” foreign policy. Even setting aside the fact that Israel was excluded from Trump’s Middle East visit, there was no collaboration between the two countries in the decision-making process for important issues in the Middle East.
A representative example is the release of American-Israeli dual national Eitan Alexander, who was held hostage in Gaza, through direct negotiations between the U.S. and Hamas. The U.S. did not inform Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had expanded military operations against Hamas, about this negotiation in advance.
After the hostage was released, some in Israel speculated that the U.S. might pressure Prime Minister Netanyahu to end the war before achieving complete victory over Hamas. These speculations are further fueled by Israel’s exclusion from the truce talks between the U.S. and the pro-Iran Yemeni Houthi rebels, heightening internal concerns in Israel. President Trump declared a ceasefire without conditions concerning the suspension of Houthi attacks on Israel. In fact, the Houthi rebels struck Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport just before the ceasefire and continued ballistic missile attacks on Israel even after the ceasefire announcement.
Negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are another issue of grave concern for Israel. Israel maintains that it cannot allow Iran, considered their greatest security threat, to enrich uranium. However, President Trump seems to be shifting from his previous stance of “absolutely not” by stating that the decision on allowing Iran’s uranium enrichment has not been made yet.
Within Israel, there is a growing perception that the Trump administration is separating U.S. interests from Israel’s in the Middle East. Yoel Guzansky, a senior researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), pointed out, “The U.S. is envisioning a new scenario in the Middle East that does not include Israel.” This suggests that President Trump’s pursuit of diplomatic achievements may lead him to make strategic decisions that do not fully reflect Israel’s position.
The economic sphere is no different. Israel decided to eliminate tariffs on American products, but the Trump administration imposed a 17% tariff on Israeli exports. This indicates that the “special treatment” Israel initially expected did not materialize.
Johanan Plesner, President of the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), stated, “The second term of Trump that Israelis imagined was an extension of the first, but now they have to face reality,” adding, “President Trump is the U.S. President, not the Prime Minister of Israel.”