Washington – When President Donald Trump took office in January, he and the first -first Israeli minister Benjamin Netanyahu were closely aligned on how to address the most pressing issues in his relationship: the war in Gaza and Iran’s aggression.
Trump increased the Hold that the Biden government put it by sending great bombs to Israel. He encouraged Israeli military operations “to finish work” against Hamas in Gaza. He agreed with Netanyahu to confront Iran and his power of attorney groups in the region.
But in recent weeks, the relationship between Trump and Netanyahu has been tense, as the two leaders are increasingly in disagreement with a strategy to face these challenges now that Hamas has been significantly degraded and Iran has weakened, according to two US officials, two Middle East diplomats and two others with knowledge of the tensions.
Where Netanyahu sees an opportunity to finally take Iran’s nuclear facilities, Trump sees an opportunity to remove the threat of Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon making a deal. While Israel hits Gaza with a new military offensive, Trump is pressing for a cease -Fogo and seeking to implement his post -war plan to rebuild the area in a “Middle East Riviera.” And after Trump interrupted the US military campaign against Iran -backed Houthis Militant group, a shocked Netanyahu said Israel would defend himself.
The recent differences between the two leaders in the main strategies and positions put Trump’s relationship with one of America’s closest allies in a little crossroads. How they sail their disagreements from now on they will shape the result of some of the main components of the president’s foreign policy agenda.
Twice only last week, Trump made public comments that annoyed Netanyahu, the two American authorities, the two Middle East diplomats and two other people with the tensions said.
Netanyahu was particularly upset when Trump said on Wednesday that he had not yet decided if Iran could enrich uranium under a new nuclear agreement that its government is negotiating, the two US officials said. One of Netanyahu’s leading consultants Ron Dermer broadcast this message to Trump Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff during a White House meeting on Thursday, according to one of the US authorities.
For his part, Trump was frustrated by Netanyahu’s decision to start a new military offensive in Gaza, which the president sees as in disagreement with his reconstruction plan there, according to one of the US employees and one of the people familiar with tensions between the two leaders.
In particular, Trump said the new Israeli offensive in Gaza is a wasted effort because it will make reconstruction difficult, according to these two sources.
Currently, the US is pressuring Israel and Hamas to agree with a cease in Gaza, which Dermer was scheduled to argue with Witkoff during his visit to the White House this week, according to Middle Eastern diplomats and a senior Trump government official.
But Trump’s approach to Iran has been the biggest discord point for Netanyahu.
The Israeli leader is frustrated for weeks with Trump’s refusal to support military attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities and his decision to try to reach an agreement to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, according to the two US officials, the two Middle East diplomats and two others with the knowledge of tensions.
“They are concerned about any agreement,” said one of the US authorities about the Israelis.
Israel made it clear to the US that he does not want Trump to make a nuclear deal that leaves Iran with any uranium enrichment training, US officials and Middle Eastern diplomats said. Trump expressed an opening to Iran, maintaining a civil nuclear program.
“We haven’t made that decision yet,” Trump said on Wednesday, when asked if the US position is that Iran can have an uranium enrichment program for civil nuclear purposes.
“Israel has not had a better friend in his history than President Trump,” said James Hewitt, a national security board door, in a statement responding to this story. “We continue to work closely with our ally Israel to ensure that the remaining hostages in Gaza are released, Iran never gets a nuclear weapon and to strengthen regional security in the Middle East. As he repeatedly stated in his first and second term, the president is committed to ensuring that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.”
A third US authority said the president’s team has communicated with Israeli authorities regularly about the status of negotiations with Iran, providing updates and coordinating the elements of a potential agreement.
Netanyahu’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
‘Trump has its own agenda’
Netanyahu was surprised and enraged and trumper last week that the US was interrupting his Military Campaign against Iran-backed Houthis after the Houthis agreed to stop shooting US ships in the Red Sea, according to one of the US authorities and the two Middle Eastern diplomats.
The Houthis had just attacked Israel with a missile that hit Ben Gurion, Israel’s main airport.
When Netanyahu visited the White House last month, for the second time since Trump took office, he expected the president to be held US air support to a possible Israeli operation against Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to the two Middle East diplomats. The Israeli leader was surprised when the president announced that he would agree to direct conversations with Tehran, the diplomats said.
Netanyahu said in particular that he thinks Trump’s negotiations with Iran is a waste of time because Tehran will never maintain his end of any agreement, according to the two US authorities. Israel argued that Iran is so weakened by economic sanctions and the degradation of its proxies in the region that it is now an ideal time to remove its nuclear facilities, and it is concerned that the window to make it be closing as the US negotiates, authorities said.
In addition to this concern over time, Israeli military attacks have damaged the Iranian strategic air defenses in October, which means the crew aircraft that conduct new attacks now would not be so susceptible to be slaughtered. But the Iranians are rebuilding their air defenses.
The Republican sens. Tom Cotton and Lindsey Graham said this week that Iran’s only acceptable business is the one that prevents Tehran from any uranium enrichment. They also asked Trump to send any nuclear agreement from Iran to the Senate for ratification, which requires a two -thirds vote.
Asked about the comments of Cotton and Graham, a fourth US authority said Witkoff is in “constant contact” with Graham about Iran’s negotiations and informed cotton last week.
The 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, reached by President Barack Obama, was not ratified by the Senate, which allowed Trump to simply remove the US from the deal during its first term.
“I think what you are seeing is the Israelis acknowledging that, as much as they received the election of President Trump and think they would actually give them a blank check to follow any agenda they wanted, Trump has his own agenda,” said a briefing and a former Middle Eastern sweetened who described the government that takes advantage of a protonial, a protonial organization that highlights, that highlights, that stands out, that stands out, that For a protociant organization, which takes advantage of a search for a protociant, which takes advantage, through an organization, to a person who takes advantage.
Although Trump’s diplomacy with Iran and the US leads with the Houthis to be “Anatema” to Netanyahu, the first -minister does not have political leverage in Washington or Israel to enter a direct confrontation with Trump, who works in eastern Midanyahu in Israel, Bidenbonberg said in the east.
“Netanyahu’s all political strategy and political strategy and political strategy is based on maintaining its coalition and maintaining its political base united,” Goldenberg said in the Briefing organized by J Street. “And these people love Trump, so he goes very publicly against Trump is something he really can’t do.”
The tension in the relationship between Trump and Netanyahu occurs when the president should travel to the Middle East next week, with scheduled stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates. Trump is not scheduled to visit Israel on this trip, although he has done it during his first term.
Witkoff also planned to participate in another round of negotiations with Iran this weekend in Oman.