Trump administration wants Israel ‘to come to its senses’ and strike a ceasefire deal on Gaza, Israeli media reports.
A senior United States official has reportedly warned that Washington could move forward with its deal with Saudi Arabia without Israeli involvement, unless Israel changes course, according to Israeli media.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the unnamed official met on Monday with families of captives still held in Gaza. During the meeting, the official said President Donald Trump is increasingly frustrated with Israel’s stance on the stalled ceasefire talks.
Trump intends to press ahead with the Saudi deal regardless of Israel’s position, said the report on Wednesday.
The US president is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates next week. Meanwhile, Israel’s ambassador to Washington is lobbying the White House to add a brief stop in Israel, two Israeli officials told Axios.
According to The Jerusalem Post, the US official told attendees Israel could face “a much heavier price” if it continues to oppose a ceasefire deal.
“President Trump is determined to move forward with a significant deal with Saudi Arabia, even without Israeli involvement,” the official reportedly said. “The ceasefire agreement with the Houthis is just a prelude. If Israel doesn’t come to its senses, even the ‘Deal of the Millennium’ will happen without it.”
The report said families of the captives hoped the meeting would result in greater international pressure on Israeli leaders to act. Some attendees said they were alarmed by the unusually blunt tone from the official as Washington has long been viewed as Israel’s closest diplomatic ally.
The Trump administration has sought to realign regional alliances, focusing on normalising ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia. “We hope Israel will board the historic train that has already left the station,” the US official reportedly said. “But the US will not wait at the platform.”
Building on the controversial 2020 Abraham Accords, the agreement would see Saudi Arabia formally recognise Israel – abandoning its long-held demand for a full Israeli withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territory as outlined in the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.
In return, the US would offer Saudi Arabia a defence pact and access to advanced weapons, while urging Riyadh to scale back its growing ties with China and Russia.
Another pillar of the deal includes US support for a Saudi civil nuclear programme, though disagreements over uranium enrichment remain unresolved.
While Saudi Arabia originally insisted on concrete steps towards a two-state solution for Palestinians, recent reports suggest Riyadh may settle for symbolic concessions – such as freezing settlement expansion – if the US offers enough in return.
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