Our first destination was Riyadh. Just a few months after his new administration, the US President met the King of Saudi Arabia as part of his efforts to promote relations with the Arab world.
From there, it headed to another regional capital, where the leader of the Free World gave a speech about a new vision for the Middle East.
A stop in Israel that was prominently missing from the itinerary.
The year was 2009, and the president was Barack Obama. His decision not to visit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had just taken office, was considered an insult. It marked the beginning of what many to this day see Obama’s Israel as a relationship with, especially the nation’s longest-serving leader.
However, when President Donald Trump begins his first visit to the area in his second term, the same elephant sits in the same corner of his oval office. Israel is not on its itinerary again.
Trump has already blinded Israel several times — talks with Iran, contracts with Yemen’s Hooti rebels, and in person meetings with Hamas — Israeli officials are concerned that another surprise could come.
Sources said Israeli officials tried to ask about possible halts in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv during Trump’s trip. But the president overshadowed those flickerings of hope last week.
Trump may have been persuaded to add a visit to his itinerary if he could claim some sort of victory, whether it was a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, a humanitarian aid plan, or something else. However, there is no such artifact as Israel is ready to expand the war in Gaza.
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