US President Donald Trump stirred concerns over the past week over potentially dwindling support for Israel amid his Middle East tour, during which Israel is not a stopping point. His actions on this trip so far, however, prove that Israel is still on his mind.
Trump’s Middle East tour saw him meeting with leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, Syria, and the Palestinian Authority, which in turn was perceived by many an expert and analyst as a slight towards Israel. After all, the US’s supposed greatest ally wasn’t even on the docket.
The news has been focusing primarily on Trump securing a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to invest in the United States. The US agreed to sell Saudi Arabia an arms package worth nearly $142b. in what the White House coined the “largest defense cooperation agreement” ever done by the US.
It has also been focusing on Trump’s desire to accept a $400 million airplane from Qatar to use as Air Force One and the recent opposition on both sides of the aisle in Congress.
However, on the sidelines of those same discussions and deliberations, Trump called for countries in the Middle East to join the Abraham Accords.
First of all, on Tuesday evening, he said he hoped Saudi Arabia would join the Abraham Accords. He did point out that they will do so in their own time, but the statement was nevertheless a clear arrow pointing towards Trump’s priority: securing Israel.
That same day, he said he would order the lifting of sanctions on Syria at the behest of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince.
“I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump told an investment forum in Riyadh. “It’s their time to shine. We’re taking them all off... Good luck, Syria, show us something very special.”
Then, the following day, when Trump met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, he urged him to sign the Abraham Accords with Israel.
Trump told the Syrian leader he has “a tremendous opportunity to do something historic in his country,” according to an official statement by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. The US leader added that he is also looking to normalize relations with Sharaa.
Shaara, during the discussion, affirmed his commitment to the 1974 disengagement with Israel, the White House said, and expressed interest in joint US-Syrian efforts in combating terrorism and eliminating chemical weapons.
Many were up in arms when, on Wednesday, Trump told reporters as he was boarding Air Force One that “without the United States, the hostages would not be alive now. There are about 20 alive; we will get them out step by step.”
Trump was not wrong
However, from recent news reports, the US president is not wrong; Israeli media reported on Tuesday that Edan Alexander, the 21-year-old Israeli-American hostage released on Monday, told Trump that since he took office, his conditions while held hostage had improved significantly.
Ultimately, it was Trump’s team negotiating with Hamas that got Alexander out. The Prime Minister’s Office put out a statement on Sunday when the deal was announced, attempting to spin the deal in their favor and make it look as though Israel was an active player, when in fact, it was Trump’s team that was on the ground making the deal for his release.
So, while many were up in arms at Trump’s apparent taking credit, others still said that he is right, and it is further proof that the Israeli government is not doing enough for the return of the hostages.
Nevertheless, when it comes to Trump’s Middle East tour, the fact that in two short days, Israel has been so significant during discussions has thoroughly refuted any claim made that Israel is low on the US president’s list of priorities.
Further, it was a sign: a sign that sometime in the near future, Israel could enter some very advantageous agreements with its neighbors and, although they are not next door, their joining the Abraham Accords could be the foot in the door the country needs to improve its diplomatic standing in the Middle East, recover its international reputation, and ultimately garner enough partners to put pressure on Hamas to bring about a definitive end to the war.