Tel Aviv - President Donald Trump ended his high-stakes Middle East tour on Friday when many media outlets took his decision to bypass Israel as evidence of a rift with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But while Air Force One did not land in Israel, experts say Trump's visit is closely aligned with Israeli interests and proposes a strategic opportunity that Jerusalem has not yet seized.
Israeli Vice President of Thought and former senior director of the Israeli National Security Council said of Fox News’ digital numbers, “Israel saw a huge wave that swept the Middle East, and it was a wave of momentum and change.
Trump visits the historic UAE as the first U.S. president in nearly 20 years
President Donald J. Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman held a bilateral meeting at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 13, 2025. (Photo taken by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Throughout the visit, Trump emphasized the view that directly reflects Israeli priorities. On Tuesday, he condemned the October 7 attack on Hamas, called on Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham agreement and warned Iran about its nuclear ambitions. On Wednesday, he even extended his normalization initiative to Syria.
When an Air Force One boarded the issue about Israel, Trump said: "It's good for Israel. Having a relationship with these countries like me...I think it's very good."
In Doha on Thursday, Trump further said: "I want to see (Gaza) is a free zone. If necessary, I think I'm honored to have it for the United States, accept it, and make it a free zone."
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Middle East Envoy, told Doha that Washington does not intend to force Israel to end the war in Gaza to Israel - in line with Prime Minister Netanyahu's firm stance.
On Friday, if he is frustrated with Netanyahu, President Trump was asked on Friday in an interview with Fox News chief political host Bret Baier. Trump replied: "No, look, his situation is tough. You have to remember that everyone has forgotten about an October 7th, one of the most violent days in world history. When you look at the tape, it's not the Middle East, the world, the world.
After the ceasefire, the IDF re-entered the Gaza Strip. (IDF)
A reading released by the State Department on Thursday was a call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Prime Minister Netanyahu, which also demonstrated continued support for the Jewish state.
“The Secretary stressed the U.S. support for historic relations with Israel and U.S. support for Israel’s security,” he added: “After President Trump’s historic meeting with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, the Secretary and Prime Minister discussed Syria.
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Amit Segal, chief political correspondent for Channel 12, told Fox News Numbers: “From an Israeli perspective, there is a disturbing experience of seeing the Air Force flying to our country alone, some of which are outright hostile enemies and others semi-hostile. If you’re not on the table, you’re on the plate.”
"But it's not personal. It has nothing to do with Netanyahu and Trump," Segar added. "Trump has full support for Israel - but when American interests take action first, he's American."
Dan Senor, the host of the podcast "Call Back" and former State Department official, agreed that despite the headlines hinting at tension, the policy tells a different story.
"There is always noise in the media," said Dana Perino, co-host of Fox News Channel's "American Newsroom." "But the policies are very strong now. We see the greatest pressure on Iran, without public criticism of Israel, even if dozens of Israeli tanks are located near Gaza."
The Centre President Donald Trump met with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 14, 2025. (Saudi news agency/through Reuters lecture notes)
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"What I found in past administrations (particularly under Obama) was the public of private criticism," Senor added. "This gave others a green light that could pile up on Israel. Even if it disagrees, it wasn't playing it. That's the most important."
On Friday, in a declaration marking Jewish Heritage Month, Trump said: "I believe that Jews have never had a bigger friend to my administration. We will never deviate from our belief that anti-Semitism has no place in the world's largest country. As the 47th President of the United States, I will use every appropriate legal tool of my 47th President to be busy with our offensive in my party, our experiences, our experiences, our experiences, our experiences, our experiences, our experiences, our experiences.
Tamir Haiman, former head of the Israeli Military Intelligence Agency, now director of the National Security Institute, said the Israeli government is worried about being caught off guard.
Heyman told Fox News numbers, "It's such a powerful player, sometimes without the intention, that he can throw a little player out of the field - like a giant who spins and accidentally knocks someone down with his shoulder."
However, he stressed that the development of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Syria is inherently unfavorable to Israel - unless the government does not take action.
"The opportunity missed here is huge," he said. "Israel has two main levers - Israel agrees to our arms deals on Saudi Arabia, and the United States agrees to lift sanctions on Syria. Both can be used to improve Israel's key interests: normalization of Saudi Arabia: a vehicle related to the development of Syria and ensuring the development of Syria, our (Israel) and we (Israel) have lost both."
UAE President Mohammed Bin Zayed al Nahyan held the order of UAE President Mohammed Bin Zayed al Nahyan on Thursday, May 15 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and Donald Trump left-wing President Zayed ordered Zayed. (AP/Alex Brandon)
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Last week, Trump suddenly suspended our air strikes a few days after the U.S. missile landing near Ben Gurion Airport. It was subsequently reported that Washington had abandoned the need for the unification of Israeli Sudi, a prerequisite for the U.S. Sudi nuclear deal, a strategic goal that Netanyahu has long advocated.
Reuters later confirmed the change. Meanwhile, Saudi officials have made it clear that progress on the Palestinian issue remains a prerequisite for any nuclear deal - which is impossible as the Gaza war continues.
"After the Saudi story, we were thrown under the bus, and I said we needed to stop and investigate," Heyman said. "We shouldn't just say it's the president's whimsical. We need to ask, 'What depends on us? What needs to be changed?' I'm not sure they are doing it."
The sharpest rift is still Iran. Jerusalem sees the nuclear-weapon Tehran as an existential threat. Heyman called this a "historical window" and stopped it with force (if needed). "The U.S. interest is to end the war, not to join the war, rather than reaching a better deal with Obama's deal," he said, warning that a diplomatic track for the head of Israel could soon limit Israel's military choices.
Edan Alexander met with his extended family after it was released. (IDF)
The release of 21-year-old U.S.-Israel Edan Alexander on Monday after a direct dialogue between Washington, Qatar and Hamas was released, adding to some fears about Jerusalem being eliminated. Israel only plays a logistical role.
Within Israel, the Gaza War continued to separate the strategists because of whether to continue to pressure Hamas or stop the war to reach a hostage deal. Heyman called the current "fight, trade, fight" rhythm "boiling frog", but admitted that there is no hostage deal now and 21 living hostages may not survive.
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Golov believes that it is time to stop reacting and start shaping events. He urged Jerusalem to push Washington to demand that “Qatar must stop funding Hamas, stop Al Jazeera’s incitement and pay the price for intervention within Israel.” He believes that Israel has no leverage to do so alone.
“It must establish its own anchor with regional groups in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, which are equally fearful of the revival of the Muslim Brotherhood.” To get there, Israel must climb on the waves Trump has already begun to move forward.