Netanyahu caught off guard by Trump’s Iran, Saudi approach: JPost
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Instead of lifting the tariffs on "Israel" and discussing a strategy "for destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities," Netanyahu was taken aback when informed of the US-Iran talks.
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President Donald Trump, right, meets with "Israel's" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday,, April 7, 2025, in Washington (Pool via AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington received "a surprise gut punch" when President Donald Trump announced that the US and Iran were on the verge of launching talks for a new nuclear agreement, without "Israel's" involvement, an opinion piece by Douglas Bloomfield in The Jerusalem Post suggested.
Bloomfield recalled that Netanyahu immediately boarded a plane from Budapest to Washington, aiming to be the first to announce that “Israel" has lifted all tariffs on US imports.
The piece indicated that instead of lifting the tariffs on "Israel" and discussing a strategy "for destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities," Netanyahu was taken aback when informed of the US-Iran talks.
The writer highlighted that the nuclear talks were not the only bad news for Netanyahu, as he also learned that Trump was preparing to sign a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia that does not require normalization of relations with "Israel", a setback to Netanyahu’s long-held objective of tying any US-Saudi deal to normalization.
"Under negotiations begun by the Biden administration, the Saudis' desire for help in developing a civilian nuclear industry and acquiring American security guarantees was linked to diplomatic relations with Israel," the piece read.
However, that position collapsed after the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, as Riyadh introduced new demands that Netanyahu finds unacceptable, chief among them, the establishment of a Palestinian state.
"Look for Trump to announce that nuclear deal next month when he goes to Saudi Arabia on the first foreign trip of his second term (as it was in his first term)," Bloomfield said, adding that the US president may also stop in "Israel" on his return, although that has not yet been confirmed.
Netanyahu 'mere prop' during 'embarrassing' Trump meeting
In early April, the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom said members of the Israeli delegation were visibly unsettled by Trump’s announcement of the US-Iran talks, which they had not anticipated.
A senior political source told the newspaper that although Israeli officials later attempted to downplay the surprise, in reality, “Israel had no prior knowledge of an agreement between Trump and the Iranians to launch talks.”
The newspaper cited one Israeli official present at the meeting as saying, “The shock was written all over their faces.”
Netanyahu reportedly responded to the development by demanding the complete dismantling — rather than a mere freeze — of Iran’s nuclear energy infrastructure, despite international inspectors having found no evidence of a military dimension to the program.
Netanyahu received 'harsh and even somewhat humiliating' response
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Netanyahu had expected progress on the 17% tariff Trump imposed on Israeli goods. Instead, he received what the outlet described as a “harsh and even somewhat humiliating” response, leaving Washington without any concrete results.
“The prime minister did not get the gift he was hoping for — a declaration from Trump that he would reduce or cancel the 17% tariff on Israeli imports,” it wrote.
Trump, however, commended Netanyahu for lowering tariffs on US products and urged other sides to follow suit, offering only to “keep talking” on the matter.
As for the situation in Gaza, where "Israel" has resumed its war and where Israeli captives are still being held, Trump made no significant policy announcements. He simply expressed hope that the war “would end soon,” offering vague remarks about the captives.
Despite confronting Netanyahu with multiple surprises during the meeting, Trump emphasized US military support for "Israel".
“The US gives Israel $4 billion a year,” he confirmed, noting that the figure includes an additional $1 billion on top of the usual aid package.
Trump also reiterated his controversial proposal — first announced earlier this year — for the US to “own” Gaza, saying it remained “back on the table.” He said that Netanyahu had persuaded him that certain countries, reportedly contacted by the Mossad, were open to accepting displaced Palestinians from Gaza.
'Possibly the most failed meeting ever'
On its part, the Israeli newspaper Walla described the White House meeting as “possibly the most failed meeting ever” between an American president and an Israeli prime minister.
“Netanyahu found himself in the Oval Office in a situation he hadn’t anticipated. Trump threw complex political, security, and economic issues at him, and he failed to respond to any of them effectively,” Walla emphasized.
Maariv similarly characterized Netanyahu's visit as ending in “an embarrassing event” that raised more questions than it answered. The daily indicated that instead of steering the agenda, Netanyahu ended up being “a mere prop” in what appeared to be Trump’s effort to reassert his role in international diplomacy.
