Trump team slams claim of abandoning 'Israel' over Gaza
3 Min Read
Amid rising global outrage over the war on Gaza, internal US-Israeli tensions surface, but critics say Washington’s ongoing military support reveals a deeper complicity in the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe.
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US President Donald Trump, right, listens as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, April 7, 2025. (Pool via AP)
A US official has dismissed a report by The Washington Post alleging that the Trump administration warned it would abandon "Israel" if it continued its war on Gaza, calling the claim “preposterous.”
According to the Washington Post report, an unnamed source “familiar with the discussions” claimed that US officials had sent a warning to the Israeli leadership, stating, “Trump’s people are letting Israel know, ‘We will abandon you if you do not end this war.’”
The source suggested that while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has the means to end the war, he lacks the political will to do so.
The Washington Post further quoted the source as saying, “Politically, as in the past, Netanyahu has a way to do that, with a huge majority in the Knesset and in Israel.”
Netanyahu currently presides over a narrow 67-seat majority in the 120-member Knesset, leaving his government vulnerable to the pressures of a fragmented ruling coalition. Several coalition partners have publicly threatened to withdraw their support if the prime minister makes any political concessions, particularly on halting the war on Gaza.
This internal political schism has reportedly complicated international efforts to apply pressure on the Israeli occupation to scale back its aggression, as calls for a ceasefire continue to grow globally in the face of a worsening humanitarian disaster in Gaza.
US response: denial and ongoing policy rift
In response to The Washington Post's allegations, a US official rejected the notion that the Trump administration issued any ultimatum, while acknowledging there were policy differences between Washington and the Israeli entity.
“The idea that we would abandon Israel is preposterous,” the official said, pushing back against suggestions of any strategic rupture in US-"Israel" relations.
In recent weeks, tensions between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have grown increasingly visible, driven by sharp disagreements over the ongoing war on Gaza.
While Trump has shown mounting frustration with the war’s duration and its political repercussions in Washington, Netanyahu remains constrained by internal pressures that make any de-escalation politically costly. His fragile ruling coalition and personal stakes in prolonging the conflict have, according to critics, incentivized a continuation of the war.
Observers argue that Netanyahu views the war as a means to preserve cohesion among far-right allies and deflect intensifying scrutiny over his leadership. Yet despite these frictions and the staggering toll of more than 53,000 Palestinians killed, the foundation of US-"Israel" relations remains intact, along with the continued flow of lethal weapons, underscoring Washington’s complicity in the genocide.
Read more: Trump regional strategy 'made over Netanyahu’s head': NYT
