The Guardian May 17, 2025
Trump is now in the business of cutting the deals he wants, regardless of the needs of the U.S.’s one-time key ally.

He agreed a separate pact with the Houthis in Yemen, which prevents them attacking U.S. shipping but leaves them free to keep raining rockets on Israel.

He said he is “very close” to a nuclear deal with Iran, waving aside the decades-long conviction of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, that Tehran’s nuclear ambitions will only be halted by force.

Trump made nice with Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, unfazed by the latter’s hostility to Israel and close ties to Hamas.

He even dealt with Hamas all but directly, securing the group’s release of Edan Alexander, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, a move that Netanyahu only heard about once it was done.

As loudly and clearly as he can, Trump is telling Netanyahu that he is no longer No 1 and that he will not get in the way of whatever Trump decides best serves U.S., and his own, interests.