Trump Aims for ‘Historic Return’ to Mideast with Gulf Tour

While Israel's war in Gaza and Iran's nuclear program will loom large over Trump's first major foreign trip of his second term, the White House said he looked forward to a "historic return" to the region.

Eight years ago, Trump also chose Riyadh for his first overseas trip as president, when he memorably posed over a glowing orb with the leaders of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

His decision to once more bypass traditional Western allies to visit the oil-rich Gulf states underscores their increasingly pivotal geopolitical role, as well as his own business ties there.

"It's hard for me to escape the idea that President Trump is going to the Gulf because this is his happy place," said Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"His hosts will be generous and hospitable. They'll be keen to make deals. They'll flatter him and not criticize him, and they'll treat his family members as past and future business partners."

Riyadh, Doha and Abu Dhabi are expected to pull out all the stops for Trump, who's making his first major overseas trip after briefly attending the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome.

The wealthy Arab states will mix pomp and ceremony for the 78-year-old billionaire with deals that could span defense, aviation, energy and artificial intelligence.

"The president looks forward to embarking on his historic return to the Middle East" to promote a vision where "extremism is defeated in place of commerce and cultural exchanges," spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on May 9.

But he will not be able to avoid the long list of regional crises, including the war in Gaza, the Houthi rebels in Yemen and Syria's post-Assad turmoil.

In Riyadh, Trump will meet the leaders of the six Gulf Cooperation Council states: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman.

But one place that is not on the itinerary is Israel, the United States' closest ally in the region.

That has sparked speculation about tensions between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel has set Trump's trip as the deadline for a ceasefire deal with Hamas before launching its plan for the "conquest" of Gaza and the displacement of most Palestinians there.

Trump has however taken an increasingly hands-off approach, although the United States says it is working with Israel on a U.S. led plan to get aid into the blockaded enclave.

Efforts to get Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel, which Trump also sought during his first term, are likely to stay on the backburner as Riyadh says it first needs to see progress towards a Palestinian state.

Several Arab newspapers reported that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will join Trump’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on May 13. The initiative was proposed by the Saudi crown prince and accepted by Trump, the reports said.

US ambassador rejects claims

Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, despite speculation of a strained relationship between Trump and Netanyahu, ties between the U.S. and Israel remain strong.

Commenting on Trump’s decision to skip Israel on his upcoming Middle East tour, Huckabee told Israeli media that it should not be seen as a sign of weakening relations.

“This trip is focused on economic opportunities,” he said.

“Relax, calm down. Donald Trump loves you, there’s no doubt about that, he’s got your back,” he said.

In a separate interview, Huckabee noted that Netanyahu “has spent more time with Trump in the past three months than I have.”

Huckabee said he was confident Trump would visit Israel within the next year.

He also dismissed a Jerusalem Post report quoting a Gulf source claiming Trump was preparing to recognize a Palestinian state, calling it “nonsense” and joking that “his toddler grandson was a more credible source.”

Source: HDN