Link to article: https://apnews.com/article/trump-middle-east-saudi-qatar-iran-israel-452018863e00f7739078d5b912293894
President Trump’s visit to the Middle East will consist of the visiting countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, though his most pressing regional challenges concern two other countries in the region, Israel and Iran. After the the ceasefire ended two months ago, Israel is intensifying the war in the Gaza Strip. There has been a blockade on food, medicine and other supplies, which has strongly worsened the humanitarian crisis. On top of this, Iran, an enemy of Israel and a major rival of Saudi Arabia, stands on the cusp of having the capability to develop nuclear weapons.
During this visit, Trump will focus his attention on three energy-rich nations. These nations are areas of existing or planned Trump-branded real estate projects, and are places where he aims to leverage American Economic interest to execute business deals. Trump’s hosts will be looking to make deals while they flatter Trump during his visit. Trump stated on Sunday that he will accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from the ruling family of Qatar, which has raised criticism from some Democrats and allies of the President. Because the Gulf countries hosting Trump are interested in easing the regional tensions that emanate from Gaza and Iran, Trumps won’t be able to avoid diplomacy on the two conflict-filled places.
Because Trump did not schedule a trip to Israel during his first trip to the region during his second term as President, he is reinforcing a feeling in Israel that its interest may not be on the top of Trump’s mind. This sense in Israel grew even more after Trump announced that the U.S. would halt its strikes on the Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen that agreed to stop its attacks on American vessels in the Red Sea.
Trump’s visit to the Middle East may play a big part in conducting and sealing beneficial deals for the U.S. economy along with the economic state of some middle eastern countries. However, his neglection of some other middle eastern countries such as Israel may lead to growing tensions in the area and negative feeling towards the U.S.