President Donald Trump is in Riyadh on Tuesday for diplomatic talks with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over trade deals and the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. Speculation abounds that the visit could represent a pivotal moment, as tensions heighten between Washington and Jerusalem over Middle East policy.
Trump is reportedly frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the point of cutting Israel out of negotiations with some of their mutual adversaries and concluding separate agreements to safeguard U.S. interests unilaterally in recent weeks. The president has long expressed support for Israel, including in his first term formally recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
In recent weeks, he has veered from the longstanding practice of working in tandem with that nation and his officials have prompted concerns from Jerusalem as separate efforts become more frequent.
Adding to the tensions, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently canceled his trip to Israel in what was colored as a mere last-minute change of priorities, though it came on the heels of multiple episodes, including high-profile personnel shake-ups that all belie a worsening of Israeli-American relations. To be sure, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has categorically denied any rift between Netanyahu and Trump.
“It’s reckless & irresponsible for [the] press to allege that [Trump] and [Netanyahu] are not getting along. Bibi has spent more time with [Trump] than I have in [the] past 3 months & I’m his ambassador! The relationship between US & Israel remains STRONG!” Huckabee wrote on X.
