Bypassed by Trump, Israel dismayed but silent

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Bypassed by Trump, Israel dismayed but silent

By James Mackenzie
May 14, 2025 2:01 PM EDT Updated a day ago

JERUSALEM, May 14 (Reuters) - Israel's right-wing government has maintained a diplomatic silence this week as U.S. President Donald Trump fired off a blizzard of announcements that have shaken Israeli assumptions about their country's standing with its most important ally.

Trump's decision to bypass Israel during his current visit to the Middle East had already been seen as a marker of the his administration's increased focus on lucrative business deals with wealthy Gulf countries, including Qatar, which Israeli officials have long accused of helping Hamas.

Even before the trip began, Israel was on edge over U.S. talks with its arch-enemy Iran and over Trump's decision to stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen, regardless of the Iranian-backed group's determination to keep up its own missile strikes against Israel.

Israeli officials were then forced to stand by and watch as the United States negotiated to reach a deal with the Palestinian militant group Hamas to bring home Edan Alexander, the last surviving American hostage in Gaza.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/bypassed-by-trump-israel-dismayed-silent-2025-05-14/

Alternate link: https://www.yahoo.com/news/bypassed-trump-israel-dismayed-silent-180102377.html