Hamid Khoshayand – Regional Affairs Expert

It is now quite evident that the US President does not pay much attention to the considerations of the Zionist regime in the policies he pursues in the region, so much so that it is sometimes said that Washington-Tel Aviv relations are in trouble.

Trump’s recent statements in the White House that his ceasefire with Ansar Allah is only aimed at preventing them from attacking American ships and that his administration has no problem with future Yemeni attacks on occupied Palestine have further fueled the argument that the United States has effectively distanced itself from the Zionist regime regarding the conflict with Ansar Allah and, beyond that, has kept Tel Aviv away from decision-making processes centered on West Asia and Iran.

The differences between Trump and Netanyahu are mainly due to their opposing views on key foreign policy issues and tactical approaches to dealing with the regional challenges the two actors face. So that in a short period and unlike in the past, Trump has been taking actions and movements without coordination with the Zionist regime on three important issues: Iran’s nuclear program, relations with Hamas, which recently led to the release of an American prisoner, and the ceasefire with Ansar Allah in Yemen.

For example, in the case of the Islamic Republic of Iran, although they also oppose a nuclear Iran and consider it a threat to their security and national interests, in the face of this issue, Netanyahu often supports preventive and decisive measures, such as attacking nuclear facilities. At the same time, Trump is reluctant to attack nuclear facilities and pursues a combination of maximum pressure and diplomacy, an approach that Netanyahu strongly criticizes. In simpler terms, Netanyahu believes in destroying Iran’s nuclear program by any means possible, and Trump mainly emphasizes that Iran’s nuclear program should not have military dimensions and considers it possible to come to terms with a peaceful nuclear program in Iran.

At the same time, it is noteworthy that despite all the differences in views between the US government and Netanyahu, these differences only have tactical dimensions and are somehow affected by Trump’s personal and different views in facing foreign policy challenges in the region.

Despite the aforementioned differences of opinion, in that Netanyahu is deliberately obstructing Trump’s policies in the region, including the agreement with Iran, it is pretty clear that this does not harm the strategic foundations of the Tel Aviv-Washington relationship and the strategic commitment of the United States to support the Zionist regime on a macro level.

It is noteworthy that the two sides still do not recognize this difference of views as a “difference,” and people such as David Friedman, the former US ambassador to the Zionist regime, completely deny the existence of differences. Netanyahu also announced in a secret meeting of the Knesset Security and Foreign Affairs Committee that there is no gap between us and the Americans.

In an interview with Breitbart News Agency, Charles Witkoff, the Trump administration’s special envoy on the Middle East, stated: “Small and ordinary differences that are not important at all are exaggerated in the media and turned into a major crisis. This is ridiculous.”

The important point is that despite the existing differences, the Zionist regime and the United States have many common interests, especially in the field of confronting regional threats and maintaining the security of the regime. These shared interests have always been a factor in maintaining close relations between the two actors, regardless of personal differences between the leaders.

Trump has consistently shown that he is a strong supporter of the Zionist regime, and this support can be a factor in reducing tensions with Netanyahu. Of course, Trump knows very well that he cannot act or take action on issues of the Israeli regime outside the framework of the country’s foreign policy towards this regime. Supporting the Zionist regime and trying to ensure and guarantee its security under any circumstances is one of the constant and stable principles of American foreign policy that all governments from all sides are committed to implementing, and this indicates the strong role and influence of the Zionist lobby in the United States.

Trump is no exception to this rule, so despite personal differences, he is forced to prioritize America’s strategic interests and maintain relations with the Zionist regime at the highest level. While Netanyahu knows that maintaining good relations with America is vital for this regime, he has no choice but to maintain and continue good relations with the Trump administration.