According to insiders, three former US foreign policy officials from the Trump administration met with Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials in Israel on Monday, May 20th, in a rare diplomatic contact.
The delegation included Robert O’Brien, the former National Security Advisor in the Trump administration, as well as former Ambassador to the UAE John Rakolta and former Ambassador to Switzerland Ed McMullen.
The trip was not publicly announced, and apart from Netanyahu, the delegation also met with Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid and several other Israeli officials.
Insiders mentioned that one of the main purposes of this trip was to gain a deeper understanding of the complex political situation in Israel. Netanyahu’s coalition is facing internal dissent, with many Israelis criticizing him for failing to prevent the Hamas attack on October 7th last year.
It is quite unusual for a delegation of Trump allies to embark on a diplomatic visit. It is still unclear what topics were discussed between these foreign policy officials and the Israelis.
Insiders clarified that the delegation was not acting at the behest of Trump, nor did they have any messages to convey to Israeli officials. However, they added that all members were informal advisors to Trump and he is likely to receive a briefing on the meeting.
The White House and the Israeli Prime Minister’s office have not made any public comments on this visit.
Trump occasionally criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza and blamed Netanyahu for failing to prevent the attacks on October 7th. However, as a Republican presidential candidate, Trump often portrayed himself as a more reliable ally to Israel than Biden. He suggested that it was because of the “weakness” of the Biden administration that such results occurred.
During Trump’s term, the US relocated its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a long-standing goal of conservative American politicians. While this decision delighted Israelis, it angered Palestinians.
John Rakolta, the former Ambassador to the UAE, played a significant role in the Abraham Accords signed during the Trump era, which normalized relations between Israel and Bahrain, and the UAE.
Several sources indicated that Robert O’Brien is one of Trump’s top foreign policy advisors, and if Trump were to be re-elected, he would likely play a crucial role in Trump’s second term.
Jeremi Suri, a history professor at the University of Texas, stated that during periods of geopolitical turmoil, visits by former senior officials to foreign officials are not common.
He mentioned that such meetings are considered highly sensitive because the US government typically prefers to have only one point of contact with foreign counterparts.
Sources mentioned that the delegation was purely conducting fact-finding and relationship-building and had no intention of engaging in policy discussions.
While the Biden administration initially expressed strong support for Israel, in recent months, there have been several concerns raised regarding Israel’s strategies. Earlier this month, Biden temporarily halted the delivery of thousands of bombs to Israel in response to the attacks on Rafah in southern Gaza. At that time, Trump accused Biden of abandoning America’s traditional allies.
(This article references relevant reports from Reuters)