Is Trump sidelining Israel?

President Donald Trump is set to take his first trip to the Middle East since being re-elected last November. But he’s planning on skipping over Israel, America’s closest ally in the region.

Israeli officials tried to inquire about the possibility of a stop in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv during Trump’s trip, according to a source familiar with the matter. But the President doused the flicker of those hopes last week when he said he had no plans to stop in Israel. “We will be doing it at some point,” Trump said. “But not for this trip.”

Trump might have been persuaded to add the visit to his itinerary if he could claim some sort of victory, whether it be a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, a humanitarian aid plan, or something else. But with Israel poised to expand its war in Gaza, there are no such deliverables. Even with the release of hostage Edan Alexander on Monday, prospects for a comprehensive ceasefire still seem distant.

Netanyahu prided himself on being the first world leader to visit Trump in his second term in February. On his second visit, in April, he became the first leader to try to begin negotiations for a new trade deal after Trump announced sweeping tariffs on imports.

The prime minister left the White House without a trade deal and with a new concern: Trump’s shock announcement that the US would begin negotiating a new nuclear deal with Iran.

The problem for Netanyahu is that he has little leverage in Washington right now, said Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat. “There’s nothing that Netanyahu has that Trump wants, needs or (that he) can give him, as opposed to, say, the Saudis, the Qataris, (or) the Emiratis,” Pinkas told CNN.

The wealthy Arab nations have pledged trillions of dollars in US investments and may announce major weapons purchases, which Trump can tout as a victory for American manufacturing.

Despite years of being perhaps Trump’s most vocal international supporter, Netanyahu has few cards left to play, Pinkas said. Under Democratic administrations, Netanyahu has used his Republican supporters to put pressure on the White House. But Netanyahu has never criticized Trump openly, and he’s unlikely to start.

This does not by any means indicate that Israel will stop being the US’ number one ally in the Middle East. It just means that there are and will be times when the US does not see eye to eye with Israel.

In a way, this dynamic is understandable. The US is the most powerful nation in the world, and possibly Israel’s biggest supporter. Israel has gotten an enormous benefit from the US. It is only natural that the US is going to sometimes do things in its interest before Israel’s.

It is likely that Trump will continue to work closely with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but sometimes the US and Israel will have competing interests. There might be more daylight between the US and Israel than in years past, but Israel will continue to remain one of America’s greatest allies.