Rumors have been swirling in the media and online as to whether President Trump has abandoned Israel for the Gulf states. I’ll get into that at length down below. But I want you to know that whatever is done by the president of the United States or any other country cannot impact the future plan God has for my nation. The people of Israel are God’s chosen people, and our land is that which was given to us thousands of years ago in the time of the patriarchs. Millennia have passed, and empires have come and gone, but Israel remains. Why? Because that is what God promised, and His word is irrevocable.
A Balanced Perspective on Trump’s Middle East Excursion
Every time I say anything critical about Donald Trump I can be assured of one thing, I am going to lose subscribers. It’s like clockwork. So, I will begin this news item saying that Donald Trump on his worst day is light years better than Kamala Harris on her best day. I like Donald Trump. Had I been an American citizen, he would have received my vote. However, just because I support someone, it doesn’t mean that I can’t disagree with them and call them out when I believe they deserve it. And on this Middle East trip, I think he deserves to be called out in a few areas.
It didn’t begin with this trip. Even before he left for my neighborhood, his administration signed a ceasefire deal with the Houthis. Somehow in the hoopla of it all, he neglected to tell Israel about it, allowing us to learn about the agreement through the media. Essentially, he said that as long as the Yemenite terrorists don’t attack any American ships, he will refrain from dropping thousands of pounds of explosives on their cities and ports. Nowhere in that treaty does it mention desisting from firing cruise missiles at Israel. In fact, while Trump was in Saudi Arabia making a speech, a Houthi-fired missile flew over that country on its way to mine. The president also made statements about possibly allowing Saudi Arabia to develop its own nuclear program, a decision that Israel would like to have been a part of, considering the kingdom of Saud is our neighbor.
I will get into more details as they apply to the stories below. But let me say ahead of time that I understand that this is a business tour and the president is an America-first businessman. I don’t fault him for that. That is who he was elected to be, and for me to expect him to put Bible before business is unfair. Not only is he a businessman, but he is a New York businessman. That means he has had to deal with every type of person, no matter their character, in the unions, in construction, in government, in zoning, in the legal system, wherever. It seems evident to me that the truism that you catch more bees with honey than vinegar guides much of his philosophy. I try to keep that in mind when I see him hobnobbing with the Emir of Qatar and hear him calling the new Syrian president, who until four months ago had a $10 million bounty on his head, “a young, attractive guy.” Despite the fake news media, there are no indications that President Trump has thrown Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu under the bus. The United States is still our greatest ally, and I don’t see that changing under this administration.
Royal Welcome in Saudi Arabia
President Donald Trump landed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday at 10:00 AM local time, where he was greeted with the great pomp and circumstance befitting the most powerful man in the world. Meeting him at the plane was Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who is the prime minister and de facto leader of the nation for his ailing, 89-year-old father. The two world leaders had productive talks with the result that Saudi Arabia committing to invest $600 billion into the U.S. market, including $142 billion in a defense procurement deal. As I mentioned above, the president indicated prior to the trip that Washington may come alongside Riyadh’s ambition to become a nuclear power. It can be assumed that this subject was further discussed during Trump’s visit.
A President, a Prince, and a Terrorist
The title sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, and, in a sense, it is. On Wednesday, while in Riyadh, President Trump sat for a cup of tea with Crown Prince MBS and new Syrian president and former al-Qaeda and ISIS bad guy Ahmed al-Sharaa. As I mentioned earlier, because of Trump’s hard-knock construction background, he’s learned to look beyond the dark past of some shady characters to see the greater good of a beneficial deal. That is how I somewhat justify the president looking past all the mangled corpses that lay in al-Sharaa’s wake. “I’ve never believed in permanent enemies,” the president said. He went on to say that he sees in the new president a “real opportunity to preserve the unity of Syria”, and a possibility of the nation joining the Abraham Accords. If the president can see that in this man, then he must have much keener vision that I do. It would certainly be wonderful if he turns out to be right.
A Land Flowing with Planes and Money
From Saudi Arabia, President Trump flew to Doha, Qatar, where again he was treated like a king. I just feel bad for him that he never got to experience the terminal at Hamad International Airport which is truly remarkable. The president met with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Than, and, after discussions, the two signed some agreements. Amongst other understandings, Qatar Airways is ordering over 160 Boeing jets worth more than $200 billion. Aviation was already on everyone’s mind when it came to Qatar after the nation had gifted to President Trump a $400 million flying palace to be used as Air Force One. Trump accepted the hand-me-down present saying that it wasn’t given to him but to the Department of Defense to be used by him temporarily since Boeing is behind in its replacement presidential aircraft.
Any way you view it, accepting that opulent plane is a bad look. First, everyone assumes that it has more bugs in it than a flophouse mattress. But even more than that, Qatar is a terrorist supporting nation. Their backing of Hamas is the reason that the war with Gaza is still going on. Trump, himself, in 2017 called Qatar out for supporting terrorism. On the world stage, and particularly in the Middle East, appearances mean everything. No matter the back story or the actual truth, the acceptance of this gift makes it seem like the favor of this president can be bought for a price.
Another Opportunity to Miss an Opportunity
By Friday, Hamas must make a choice between two options. First, there is the hostage release deal put forth by Steve Witkoff, United States Special Envoy to the Middle East. This route demands the release of ten hostages in exchange for a 50-day ceasefire and dozens of Palestinian prisoners. If they reject that proposal, then Israel, with America’s blessing, will implement Operation Gideon’s Chariots. This is a multi-faceted option which begins with pushing all civilians south to the Morag Humanitarian Zone, where they will be scanned for weapons before being allowed to enter. Once inside, they will receive humanitarian aid and encouraged to emigrate to countries that are accepting Palestinian refugees. Just yesterday, 600 Gazans departed to be repatriated abroad. Meanwhile, the IDF will commence a full-scale demolition of Gaza, ensuring there is no building left in which terrorists can shelter nor any tunnel remaining in which they can hide. All Hamas’s military and governance capabilities will be destroyed, and all 58 hostages will be released through military force. Hamas has already rejected the Witkoff plan. They have one more day left to reconsider.
The streets next to the European hospital in Khan Yunis erupted yesterday. The IDF employed a Belt of Fire technique, in which the ends of a tunnel are bombed, trapping the inhabitants underground. Then, bunker buster bombs are dropped along the path of the tunnel, destroying everyone and everything inside. Who was the target? Mohammed Sinwar, brother of Yahya Sinwar and mastermind of the October 7 attack, along with Rafah Brigade Commander Muhammad Shabana, Hamas military leader of the southern Gaza Strip sector, and Abu Obaida, Hamas spokesman. All indications are that this triumvirate of evil was sent to their final judgment, however we are all anxiously waiting confirmation. With the stubbornness of Mohammad Sinwar gone, the possibility of a conclusion to this war would increase substantially.
Under pressure from the Trump administration and the Qatari emir, Hamas released Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander on Monday. Abducted on October 7 while serving in the IDF, Alexander endured severe torture in the 584 days he was held. When he was finally reunited with his family, his arms bore the scars of his abuse. Unfortunately, it was with his release that the circus truly began. Reports surfaced that Alexander was going to be forced to travel to Qatar to meet with President Donald Trump and the Qatari emir to thank them for their intervention. I was appalled when I heard this, because it was due to Qatar’s support of Hamas that Edan had been held for so long. Ultimately, it was announced that due to his medical condition, he could not fly to Qatar. Whether this is true or it was just a way out of what had become a firestorm of criticism, I don’t know. I’m just grateful that he wasn’t required to carry out such a disgusting act of obeisance.
Israel Shuts Down Yemen
As I told you last week, May 5-6 saw Israel decimating the international airport in Sana’a, Yemen, and hitting other Houthi-related locations throughout the nation. The Yemeni government is saying that they are reopening the airport to limited use, but it is unlikely that they can even find a runway in good enough shape to land a plane. On Sunday, Israel issued an evacuation warning to all Yemeni seaports because an attack was imminent. No attack came. Then yesterday, Israel doubled down on their warning saying that everyone better abandon the ports or risk bombs dropping on their heads. Still, as of this writing, there has been no attack. Why is Israel doing this? They are effectively shutting down the ports without firing a shot. Already, most international shipping has left Yemen so they could protect their property. This will make it easier if Israel does decide to attack, because there will be no danger of damaging another nation’s ship. Three missiles were recently fired from Yemen at Israel in a short period of time. Two were shot down and one landed before reaching Israeli borders. It’s likely that if the Houthis stopped chewing khat for just a few days they’d recover enough sense to discover that they’re essentially dead.
Israel Continues Its Dismantling of Hezbollah
Motorcycles, tunnels, munitions, entrenchments – all continue to be fair game for Israel in southern Lebanon. Surprisingly, there is little to no protest from the Lebanese government. All understand that it has to be done and that the Lebanese military doesn’t have the capability to do it themselves. President Trump has urged Lebanon to get out of the grip of Hezbollah, because, once free, it might lead to normalization in relationships with other nations, including Israel. The fact that Hezbollah is giving little resistance to the Israeli attacks shows the terrorist organization’s deterioration.
