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A collage shows images of Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. President Trump, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. — Reuters
This week at the UN General Assembly, international frustration with Washington over the Gaza conflict became more evident, with US allies officially recognizing a Palestinian state—a significant challenge to President Donald Trump’s Middle East policies.
Initially pledging to quickly resolve the Israel-Hamas war at the start of his second term, Trump now appears largely on the sidelines, as Israeli forces intensify their attack on Gaza, and he shows reluctance to curb his close regional ally. Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blindsided Trump with a strike on Hamas leadership in Qatar, undermining the Trump administration’s efforts to broker a ceasefire and hostage negotiations in Gaza.
Since then, Israel has launched a ground operation in Gaza City, which the US tolerated despite widespread global condemnation over the worsening humanitarian crisis. Just before and during the UN meeting, key US allies—including Britain, France, Canada, and Australia—announced their recognition of Palestine, marking a major diplomatic shift and defying Trump’s warnings against what he termed a gift to Hamas.
“Trump hasn’t been able to make significant progress in the region, especially regarding the Israeli-Palestinian issue,” said Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute think tank in Washington. “In fact, the situation has deteriorated since he took office.”
With the conflict dragging on and seemingly growing more complex, Trump’s sidelining has fueled skepticism about his repeated claims since returning to office in January that he is a masterful peacemaker deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that for Trump to truly win the Nobel, he needs to stop the Gaza war.
“Only the US president can do something about this. And he can do more than we can because we don’t supply weapons that fuel the Gaza conflict,” Macron told France’s BFM TV from New York.
Some analysts interpret Trump’s reluctance to leverage US influence with Netanyahu as an acknowledgment that the conflict, like Russia’s war in Ukraine, is far more complicated and difficult to resolve than he has admitted. Others see it as acceptance that Netanyahu will act in what he considers Israel’s best interests, with little the US can do to change that.
There are also speculations that domestic issues—such as recent political events involving prominent conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s murder, ongoing fallout from Jeffrey Epstein scandals, or President Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Democratic-led cities for purported crime control—are diverting his attention from the Middle East.
The White House has yet to comment on these developments.
Despite seeming less engaged in Gaza lately, Trump met briefly with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan at the UN on Tuesday. Reports suggest he aimed to present US proposals for post-war governance in Gaza without Hamas and to urge Arab and Muslim countries to contribute military support for security efforts, according to Axios.
While Trump’s rhetoric may sometimes express impatience with Netanyahu’s handling of the conflict, he made clear during his UN speech that he will continue to strongly support Israel and dismiss other countries’ backing of Palestinian statehood. Trump argued that such recognition only encourages continued conflict by rewarding Hamas’ atrocities.
Leaders from France, Britain, Canada, Australia, and others argue that recognizing Palestine could help preserve prospects for a two-state solution and bring an end to the Gaza conflict. Although these nations’ speeches at the UN didn’t directly criticize Trump, some experts see a subtle message aimed at him.
“It all hinges on Trump, who could end this conflict with one word to Netanyahu,” said Laura Blumenfeld, an analyst at Johns Hopkins University. That word, she suggests, is “enough.” As Israel continues to supply its military with US weapons and the US vetoes resolutions favoring a Gaza ceasefire, Trump has yet to signal any willingness to exert pressure.
Even after Israel bombed a Hamas office in Qatar—a key US ally—Trump had a tense phone call with Netanyahu but has taken no further action. Achieving full UN membership for Palestine would require Security Council approval, where the US holds a veto.
There’s also a possibility that Netanyahu, visiting the White House for the fourth time since Trump’s return, might test Trump’s patience further. Israel’s recent strike in Doha dampened hopes that Gulf states would join the Abraham Accords—agreements with Israel brokered by Trump’s first administration, which have helped normalize relations between Israel and several Arab nations.
Currently, Israel is contemplating annexing parts of the West Bank, possibly driven by frustration with the international push for Palestinian recognition. Israel’s right-wing government has firmly rejected the creation of a Palestinian state, especially after its October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in around 1,200 casualties. Israel’s military operations in Gaza have resulted in the deaths of over 65,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
The UAE has threatened to withdraw from the Abraham Accords if Israel proceeds with annexation plans. Most Middle East experts believe such a move would prevent Saudi Arabia from joining the accords, and that Netanyahu likely needs Trump’s approval before moving forward—something Trump has not yet committed to.
“Trump is unlikely to publicly oppose Netanyahu, especially regarding Gaza,” said Jonathan Panikoff, a former US intelligence official specializing in the Middle East. “But privately, the administration could still put pressure on him.”
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