WHILE TRUMP IS AGGRESSIVELY ATTACKING ANTISEMITISM AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES, IT IS THE QATARIS, ALONG WITH OTHER ISLAMIC NATIONS, WHO HAVE INVESTED BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO INFLUENCE UNIVERSITIES AND AMERICAN YOUTH IN ANTISEMITISM AND ANTI-ISRAEL PROPAGANDA

Is a little daylight creeping in?

Like presidents before him, Donald Trump says all is fine between the United States and Israel. the optics of his Mideast trip and reliance on the Qataris may suggest otherwise. 

 

By Alan Newman

 

JNS

May 15, 2025

 

Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, welcomes US President, Donald Trump, at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, on May 14, 2025

 

U.S. President Donald Trump, like previous presidents when speaking on diplomatic and security matters with Israel, uses the phrase: “There is no daylight between us.” It suggests steadfastness, alignment and an underlying shared morality. It conveys a treasured partnership that would weather adversity.

When Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden disingenuously guaranteed Israel that there is “no daylight between us,” they also anthropomorphically promised, “We have your back.” Their dangerous Iran nuclear deal, foot-dragging interference and appointments of senior leaders with hostile or ambiguous attitudes toward Israel demonstrated the falsity of their commitment. Their actions showed that there was “daylight” streaming in between the parties, and that Israel’s “back” was, in fact, in peril.

Notwithstanding Trump’s pro-Israel first-term achievements, the complexities he now faces are daunting. He came into office with Israel engaged in a multifront war and with Iran at the brink of nuclear-weapons capability. Additionally, strong isolationist voices are pressing their case. The president’s economic agenda is in its beginning stages, and no easy answers have been found to resolve the three-year-old war between Russia and Ukraine.

Should Israel be worried that some daylight with America might be creeping in?

Trump’s reliance on his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is troubling. Wikoff’s real estate expertise has little relevance in dealing with wily, dishonest, radical Iranians. There is far better talent available to represent America’s interests. A Libyan-like total disarmament agreement is highly unlikely, and Tehran will continue to run out the clock to achieve a nuclear breakthrough. While Trump might prefer a negotiated settlement instead of a military action, the threat that a nuclear Iran poses to the entire world calls for realism and decisiveness.

Relying on Doha as an intermediary also raises uncomfortable questions. While Trump is aggressively attacking antisemitism at American universities, it is the Qataris, along with other Islamic nations, who have invested billions of dollars to influence universities and American youth in antisemitism and anti-Israel propaganda. Further, family members and people close to Trump are engaged in major business deals with Qatar. Is this a pay-for-influence scheme too much like the Biden family grift? Might some of that unacceptable daylight between the partners be sneaking in?

Recently, after demonstrating U.S. firepower against the Houthis, Trump announced a truce agreement with the rebel forces in Yemen, removing threats to the U.S. Navy and international shipping. Yet Israel, which is frequently targeted by missile attacks from the Houthis, was not mentioned or protected in this pronouncement. Is this the behavior of an ally with whom there is “no daylight?”

Trump is in the middle of his Middle East visit to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. He will not be stopping to meet with the Israeli leadership. He is pressing the Arab leaders for Abraham Accords progress and addressing Saudi interests in military equipment and a nuclear energy capability.

Yes, Trump’s first guest at the White House after being sworn in for a second term was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Still, the optics of his itinerary for this current trip are discomforting.

The president often references the attempt on his life last summer at a campaign stop in Butler, Pa., suggesting that he was spared to achieve something important, something great.

We need an American leader who is brave, noble and principled. We need a president who sees America’s bond with Israel as a first-order necessity for the survival of Western civilization. Trump will ultimately be judged by how he performs in the crucible of a roiled international battlefield and the company of rogues. We must hope he avoids the mundane intoxication of wealth and chooses a righteous path. We must encourage him to honor his and America’s commitments.