Foreign Policy’s account of Trump’s “America First” policy and a serious challenge to the interests of the Zionist regime.
The US president is visiting the Middle East, but despite lobbying from Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, he has not included a trip to Israel in his regional tour. He recently reached a ceasefire agreement with Yemen’s Houthis, although the group has announced that it intends to continue attacking Israel. He even fired his national security adviser, Mike Waltz, after it was reported that he was coordinating a series of actions on Iran with Israeli officials without consulting him.
Trump may not want to take a radically different path from Israel, but it is becoming increasingly clear that Israel may not be exempt from the “America First” policy.
During Trump’s first term, his Middle East policy was shaped by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, whose father was a friend of Benjamin Netanyahu, and pro-Israel financiers like Sheldon Adelson and a team of pro-Israel advisers in Washington, including Senator Lindsey Graham and White House national security adviser John Bolton.
The policy of the first Trump administration was very popular with the Netanyahu government. For this reason, most foreign policy observers assumed during the 2024 presidential campaign that Trump would unquestioningly support Israel if reelected.
Yet Trump has proven that assumption to be, if not wrong, at least flawed, almost from day one. Even before inauguration day, the new administration took credit for the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Although many of the details of the deal were brokered by the Biden administration, Trump, through his handler Steve Witkoff, had to pressure the Israelis to make it happen.
The divide between Trump and Netanyahu has been wider on Iran. During Trump’s first term, Washington and Tel Aviv were largely in agreement on how to deal with Iran, applying pressure and exploring military options. However, the president and his entourage clearly feel that this has not achieved the results they wanted and are now seeking to reach an agreement with the aim of starting negotiations, rather than maximum pressure and despite Israeli pressure on Iran.
Trump’s behavior is based on an analysis that differs from most American foreign policy discourse and is at odds with many of his predecessors and Washington’s foreign policy experts. His support for Israel is not unquestioned, but neither is it focused on humanitarian issues or Palestinian rights. Instead, he appears to be fulfilling his campaign promise of “America First” and putting the country’s interests first.