When Donald Trump reclaimed the White House in November, the celebratory noise from Israel’s right was deafening. Israel’s settler movement, whose fortunes were already on the upswing after Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in December 2022, suddenly had its prized ally back in the White House. The joy was understandable. From US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital to the downgrading of relations with the Palestinian Authority and the drafting of a Middle East peace agreement heavily skewed in Israel’s favour, Trump’s first term was a golden age for Netanyahu’s government.
But as Trump now meets with Saudi, Qatari and Emirati potentates, seeking economic and investment deals in the hundreds of billions of dollars, Netanyahu has less to celebrate. Trump is proving to be more unpredictable and free-wheeling than the prime minister likely expected. In the past, US and Israeli leaders, regardless of their individual political orientation, sought to ensure there was no daylight between them on major issues. The assumption that both countries shared a distinct, special set of interests and goals has been ingrained within the US-Israeli relationship since the day the United States became the first country to recognise the State of Israel on 14 May 1948.
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