Israeli anger grows as Netanyahu accused of risking US alliance for political gain

Pressure is mounting on the Israeli Prime Minister as relations with Trump appear strained

A placard showing a picture of Tamir Adar, who was taken hostage in Gaza, as supporters of hostages take part in a protest to demand their release and against the Israeli government. Reuters

Fear is mounting in Israel that US President Donald Trump is building a Middle East policy that increasingly excludes Israel, as signs emerge that even the country’s most important allies are growing frustrated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ultranationalist government.

Despite Israelis overwhelmingly supporting Mr Trump in the US elections last year, recent days have seen actions by the American administration that appear to contradict Israeli interests.

These include the US striking a deal with Yemen’s Houthis to stop the rebels firing at shipping, which does not extend to the group’s missile attacks on Israel. The deal was struck days after the Houthis bombed Israel’s main international airport, leading to a spate of global airlines cancelling services.

The US also reportedly no longer requires Saudi Arabia to normalise relations with Israel in exchange for American consent to the kingdom beginning a civil nuclear programme, according to a Reuters report.

On Monday Hamas released the US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, believed to be the last surviving American held by the Palestinian group in Gaza.

Mr Alexander was handed over to Red Cross staff in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, in what Hamas called a goodwill gesture before the US President landed in the Middle East on Tuesday.

Mr Netanyahu said the release of Mr Alexander would not lead to a ceasefire in Gaza or the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. The Israeli leader is facing growing criticism of his handling of the Gaza war, including from families of hostages held by Hamas.

Palestinians collect water in jerrycans at a distribution point west of Gaza city on Sunday. AP

Mr Trump will not visit Israel during his trip to the Middle East this week, in which he is visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE in the first official foreign trip of his second term.

Reports have also emerged in Israeli media that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth cancelled a trip to Israel that, according to an initial report in Axios, was supposed to take place on Monday.

These apparent setbacks in the relationship come as Israel faces increased international anger about the Gaza war, particularly its recently announced plans to entirely occupy the strip.

Washington's moves represent a clear departure from the first Trump administration, during which Israel secured major wins from the US, including moving the American embassy to Jerusalem and Mr Trump withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal that was agreed in 2015.

They also heap domestic pressure on Mr Netanyahu, who is being accused of destroying the strong relationship with the US by being an unreliable partner and insincere in efforts to bring about a ceasefire-hostage deal, so that he can maintain his grip on power.

Fears in Israel of a growing rift prompted the new American ambassador, Mike Huckabee, to downplay the possibility of major tension.

Addressing the fact the President is not visiting Israel during his trip, Mr Huckabee said it “is not because he’s snubbing Israel”.

“There are 200 nations in the world, almost, so there are a lot of them he hasn’t gone to yet,” Mr Huckabee added.

The forum representing most of the families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza condemned Mr Netanyahu for “acting contrary to President Trump's policy” of a “comprehensive regional agreement that will transform the Middle East, end the war, and secure the return of all 59 hostages”.

“This represents an unprecedented historic missed opportunity. Every citizen should understand tonight that Israel is heading towards ‘the missed opportunity of the century’. A historic chance will be wasted due to the insistence on continuing the war and abandoning the hostages,” a statement said.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee addresses the media at the US embassy in Jerusalem regarding the humanitarian aid situation in the Gaza Strip. EPA

Yair Golan, the leader of Israel’s centre-left Democrats party, said the government's “preoccupation with the Houthis distracts attention from the government's most serious security failure: that Netanyahu destroyed the special relationship with the US”.

“While the United States is making alliances and signing agreements that are changing the regional reality, the Netanyahu … government is abandoning the hostages and sending the IDF to wallow in the mud in Gaza for political considerations and messianic delusions, without real operational goals, without vision, and without achievements.”