President Trump held a private meeting Thursday at the White House with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a top aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to discuss the war in Gaza and nuclear talks with Iran. The encounter, not publicly disclosed by either government, was unusual, as presidents rarely meet with foreign officials below head-of-state level, and it came amid strained ties between Trump and Netanyahu.
The timing of the meeting came just days before a new round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks set for Sunday in Muscat, Oman, and ahead of Trump’s upcoming Middle East tour beginning Monday. Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, but will not stop in Israel. Reuters recently reported that the United States is no longer requiring Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel as a condition for advancing civil nuclear cooperation talks.
The meeting followed a diplomatic rift after Trump surprised Netanyahu and his team with an announced ceasefire with Yemen’s Houthis. The announcement came shortly after Israel conducted strikes on a Yemeni port and airport in response to a Houthi attack on Tel Aviv’s international airport. Israeli officials were reportedly alarmed that the truce did not protect against attacks on Israel. “We were shocked that the Trump administration didn’t tell us anything and we learned about it from the television,” one official told Axios. The episode deepened concerns in Israel about its limited influence over Trump’s Iran policy. Netanyahu, deeply skeptical of diplomacy with Iran, has urged Trump to consider military options.
On Thursday, Dermer held multiple meetings inside the White House, including one attended by President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Rubio, and White House envoy Steve Witkoff. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the meeting, calling it “private.”
Israel has set the end of Trump’s regional visit as the deadline for a new ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. Officials have threatened a large-scale military operation to seize and depopulate the enclave if no agreement is reached. Trump’s decision to skip Israel on this trip contrasts with his first term, when his maiden foreign visit included a stop in Jerusalem. The move comes amid reports that Trump has decided to sever direct contact with Netanyahu.
Israeli Army Radio reporter Yanir Cozin wrote on X that Trump made the decision after associates told Dermer that the president believes Netanyahu is manipulating him. An Israeli official said Dermer’s recent tone with senior Republicans was perceived as arrogant, and that those close to Trump warned him Netanyahu was trying to “play” him. “There is nothing Trump hates more than being portrayed as a fool or someone being played. That’s why he decided to cut contact with Netanyahu,” the official said. Cozin also cited Israel’s failure to present concrete plans regarding Iran, the Houthis, and the future of Gaza as key reasons for the growing rift with the Trump administration.
Witkoff has been working with Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries to pressure Hamas into releasing some hostages in exchange for a temporary ceasefire. Hamas continues to insist on a full end to the war in return for the release of all hostages. Sources say Witkoff will lead another round of nuclear negotiations with Iran in Oman on Sunday, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expected to head the Iranian delegation. Trump, for his part, reiterated his goal of reaching a deal with Iran without resorting to military action.
