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."
Foreign ministers meeting in Istanbul on Friday warned that renewed military strikes on Iran could deepen the regional conflict, urging diplomatic ...
Georgia’s Constitutional Court has extended hearings in a case seeking to ban five opposition parties, with proceedings now set to continue u...
Pakistan and the European Union have agreed to step up counterterrorism cooperation as security concerns over Afghanistan grow and tensions between...
Saudi Aramco has ordered staff to evacuate its headquarters amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Two people were killed in an attack on Dammam airport, while Iran's IRGC Navy claimed strikes on seven vessels and warned the U.S. of a wider response.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia said it had intercepted the vast majority of 630 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow.
Russia is willing in principle to resume peace talks with Ukraine and the United States in November, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said after President Vladimir Putin met U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.
Super typhoon Champi is set to batter Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture from Friday (23 October), bringing violent winds, torrential rain and waves up to 11 metres high, as airlines cancel flights and organisers scrap a major festival.
Israeli military bulldozers have begun demolishing buildings in the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday, 23 October, following armed clashes with Palestinians that left two Israeli soldiers dead, according to the Israeli military.
Armenian authorities have detained 10 more people in a vote-buying investigation involving the opposition Strong Armenia party, just two days before local elections in the northern town of Stepanavan.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met India’s Minister of External Affairs in Baku for talks on strengthening bilateral relations, with a focus on trade, investment, energy and technology.
Israeli military bulldozers have begun demolishing buildings in the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday, 23 October, following armed clashes with Palestinians that left two Israeli soldiers dead, according to the Israeli military.
Greece’s parliament has passed a bill banning under-15s from using social media from 1 January 2027, as the country steps up efforts to protect children online. The new law will require platforms to enforce age restrictions.
France's Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Friday that 70,000 security forces would be mobilised throughout the country to keep order on Saturday, adding there have been calls for looting and violence from the ultra-left.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment