Israeli Newspaper: Trump is coming to the Middle East to make deals, and Netanyahu could offer him the deal of his life

Yaki Dayan

Next week will witness US President Donald Trump's first diplomatic visit (except for his visit to the Pope's funeral). Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, and will hold a summit with the Gulf states. This visit will be an opportunity that could help shape the future of the Middle East, and it is right for Israel to take the initiative and not wait for a "plan" to be dropped from above.

It is no coincidence that his first visit to the Gulf, as planned, will be his first. Essentially, Trump views his foreign policy from the perspective of "economy and profit first." An economic foreign policy aimed at making the United States richer. Mohammed bin Salman [the Saudi Crown Prince] promised Trump $600 billion in investments in the United States, before the massive arms sale between the two countries, estimated at $100 billion, was concluded. The president promised that he would return from the visit with a Saudi commitment to investments of up to $1 trillion, and it is important to remember that Qatar and the UAE speak the same language. Two weeks ago, the US Secretary of Energy concluded a visit to Riyadh, during which an agreement was reached to build civilian nuclear reactors. Who do you think will build them? The Americans, of course.

Saudi Arabia will not only become a major trading partner for the United States, but Trump is also giving it an additional role in his vision for the Middle East, namely to fill the vacuum left by the Iranians, from Lebanon to the Gaza Strip.

However, the US president's ambitions do not stop there. He wants to expand the Abraham Accords, which could transform the entire Middle East and perhaps even lead him to the Nobel Peace Prize, which he has deserved since his first term, although the Europeans may find it difficult, this time, to ignore him. Currently, Trump is engaged in negotiations with the Iranians regarding a nuclear agreement, as Washington and Riyadh prefer to reach an agreement rather than the option of a military attack.

Rather than waiting for circumstances to impose a reality on us that we as Israelis may not like in a new Middle East, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must now present an initiative to President Trump before his visit to Saudi Arabia. This initiative requires Israel to agree to the Egyptian proposal to end the war in Gaza, which includes a five-year ceasefire and the release of all 59 kidnapped Israelis. This proposal will allow Trump to initiate the process of Saudi Arabia's accession to the Abraham Accords during his upcoming visit.

However, Israeli approval must be conditional on several basic demands:

An agreement with the Americans regarding Gaza, based on the "Lebanon model," meaning that Israel will remain in control and be empowered to eliminate any identified threat.

Any agreement with the Iranians must include a ban on uranium enrichment within their territory, the dismantling of nuclear facilities under American supervision, without an expiration date, the halting of their long-range missile program, and the cessation of support for "terrorism." If these provisions do not lead to an agreement, a joint American-Israeli military strike will be carried out against the nuclear facilities. Even from a domestic political standpoint, reaching an understanding of this kind with the Americans would provide Netanyahu with a sense of immunity, as he would be able to keep [Finance Minister] Bezalel Smotrich within the coalition, since, according to polls, the alternative available to him is far from guaranteed. Prime Minister Netanyahu can reassure Smotrich that the greatest threat of all is the Iranian threat, and it will be addressed. Even if Itamar Ben-Gvir leaves, the coalition will still be able to continue functioning politically.

Dismantling the Iranian sites at Bordeaux and Natanz, in exchange for the release of all our abductees and a long-term ceasefire, is a deal that is difficult to refuse, in terms of priorities, from both the Israeli and American perspectives. This deal would give Netanyahu the ability to take the initiative, rather than waiting for some settlement to be imposed on us, and would give him access to the process of shaping the new Middle East. The year 2025 holds the potential to reshape the region, and planning and initiative must begin from within first.