Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday (28 July). While the White House described the talks as positive, Trump acknowledged ahead of the meeting that the two leaders had "a little difference" over Iran.
Speaking to AnewZ, Political scientist Daniela Melo said the meeting is unlikely to fully repair a relationship shaped by increasingly divergent strategic priorities.
"The relationship is in visible decline," said Melo, a political scientist based in London.
She argued the shift began after the U.S. and Israel launched military action against Iran, as Trump expected a short conflict that would quickly reshape the regional balance of power.
Instead, she said, Trump found himself facing "a war that is protracted... with no clear exit strategy for the United States." According to Melo, that changed Washington's calculations.
"The strategic interests of the United States are now different from the ones that Bibi Netanyahu has for Israel."
She added that she is sceptical the White House meeting will resolve those differences fully.
Melo argued the conflict has left Washington and Jerusalem pursuing different objectives in the region.
"Iran has become a bigger threat to Israel now than it was at the beginning of the conflict. Even a weaker Iran is also a more unpredictable Iran," she noted.
According to the expert, these differing priorities have made it harder for the two allies to present a united strategy.
Melo said domestic political pressures are also widening the divide.
Trump, she argued, is under pressure from voters who backed his pledge to avoid new military entanglements in the Middle East.
"He wanted to leave a legacy... that draws the United States away from these types of conflicts rather than embroiling the U.S. in these conflicts."
She also believes the administration is weighing the economic and political consequences of continued regional instability ahead of November's congressional elections.
Beyond policy differences, Melo says the personal relationship between Trump and Netanyahu has also deteriorated.
She pointed to reports that communication between the two leaders has become less direct and said the closed-door nature of Tuesday's meeting reflected a relationship under strain.
"The alliance between the United States and Israel is not over. But the personal relationship and the personal trust between Bibi Netanyahu and Trump has been severely shaken."
The U.S. will impose unprecedented measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said...
Georgia could gain a direct electricity link to Europe under plans for a new overland energy corridor connecting Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye ...
Türkiye has unveiled plans for joint military exercises and defence production with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan under a new security pact that i...
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled or rerouted at Catania Airport over the past week as ash from Mount Etna’s ongoing eruption continues to disrupt air travel in Sicily.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
The U.S. will impose unprecedented measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Iran and Afghanistan are seeking closer cooperation in agriculture, livestock and irrigation during a three-day Iranian ministerial visit to Kabul, as both sides look to strengthen trade and rural economies.
At least 437 civilians were killed and 2,610 injured in Ukraine in July, according to UN investigators, marking the highest monthly civilian casualty toll since March 2022.
Record rainfall in Japan killed eight people and stranded thousands of travellers at Tokyo's Narita Airport on Friday, as flooding disrupted transport and cut power to 20,000 homes.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 14th of August, covering the latest developments.
Ukraine’s attacks on Russian ports, refineries and shipping infrastructure are putting Moscow’s energy exports under growing pressure and disrupting key trade routes, raising concerns over commercial shipping and global food supplies.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment