by ANIS RAISS
Trump is reshaping West Asia without Israel in the room – and Netanyahu can’t get him on the line.
US President Donald Trump is currently touring the Persian Gulf – not Tel Aviv. Trillions are at stake, nuclear files are in motion, and Gaza lies at the center of a backroom arrangement that no longer includes Israel. For the first time in years, the choreography of American power in West Asia is unfolding without Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at its center.
Israeli media outlets, including Israeli Army Radio, Channel 12, and Israel Hayom, confirm the fallout: Trump has severed direct communication with the Israeli premier. A senior member of Trump’s circle reportedly told Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer that what the president’s biggest pet peeve is being seen as naive or manipulated – and that Netanyahu had been doing just that.
Washington isn’t waiting. A Gaza plan is already being drafted with Cairo, Doha, and Abu Dhabi, and Hamas has been summoned to Cairo. As US envoy Steve Witkoff bluntly told the Israeli press: “We want to bring the hostages back, but Israel doesn’t want to end the war.” Meanwhile, a Saudi nuclear deal – once conditional on Israeli normalization – is moving forward without Netanyahu’s input.
This isn’t just a shift in tone; it’s an ego war. Trump thrives on being the sole architect of regional policy. The idea that Netanyahu used him, or tried to script his narrative, is intolerable. For “Bibi,” it’s existential.
Having clawed back to office more times than any Israeli leader – often under the threat of indictment – Netanyahu sees himself not as a peer among statesmen, but the last bulwark against Israeli collapse. Control, for both leaders, isn’t merely power, but identity.
The Kushner–Netanyahu bond that broke
Not long ago, Netanyahu could call the White House and get what he wanted. Trump moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem, cut UNRWA funding, pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, unveiled the so-called “Deal of the Century,” and furthered Arab normalization with the occupation state.
Jared Kushner – Trump’s son-in-law and West Asia policy lead– was more than a conduit to Israel; his relationship with Netanyahu was personal.
As reported by Israeli and US media,Netanyahu once stayed overnight at the Kushner family home in New Jersey. A teenage Jared gave up his bedroom so Netanyahu could have it. That wasn’t just anecdotal – it was emblematic. The Kushners, especially Jared’s father Charles, blurred diplomacy with familial loyalty.
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