Political commentator Maajid Nawaz has claimed Donald Trump "surprised" Benjamin Netanyahu during their recent meeting in Washington.
Speaking on GB News, Nawaz said: "Donald Trump wasn't speaking on behalf of Netanyahu and was instead talking to Netanyahu. He was telling him he needs to be a bit careful with how he proceeds."
Nawaz highlighted how Trump had previously caught Netanyahu off guard with his "Gaza riviera scheme", which "kickstarted talks with a lot of Arabs on how they can rebuild Gaza".
Netanyahu met with President Trump in Washington on Monday, becoming the first foreign leader to visit since Trump implemented global tariffs.
Maajid Nawaz spoke on GB News about the ongoing conflict
REUTERS / GB NEWS
During the meeting, Netanyahu assured Trump his government would work to eliminate the trade deficit with the United States.
Trump announced the US was holding direct talks with Iran about its nuclear programme.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ReutersHe warned Tehran would be in "great danger" if the negotiations proved unsuccessful.
The meeting took place in the Oval Office, where the two leaders were photographed shaking hands.
According to Nawaz, the Israeli population has grown weary of Netanyahu's leadership.
"I think the Israeli population wants to see an end to Netanyahu's premiership," he told GB News.
Maajid Nawaz joined Neil Oliver on GB News
GB NEWS
He explained that Israelis have been trying to remove Netanyahu for some time, but the country's proportional representation system makes this difficult.
"The nature of the proportionate system in Israel means Netanyahu can prop up a minority government through a coalition," Nawaz said.
He added that Israelis are "probably a bit war-weary" after prolonged conflict.
Nawaz emphasised the importance of Trump's direct negotiations with Iran, framing the conflict as regional rather than bilateral.
"The conflict with Iran isn't just a conflict with Israel and Iran, it's a regional conflict between Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies," he explained.
He noted that Saudi Arabia and Iran's disagreement centres on Yemen rather than Palestinian statehood.
"Yemen is pretty crucial to Saudi Arabia's national security. It sits within the same peninsula as the same bigger country, Saudi Arabia," Nawaz said.
Yemen has experienced a "terrible civil war with Iran and Saudi Arabia on either end of that proxy war", according to Nawaz.
He described the disagreement between the regional powers as "vicious".
The commentator also pointed to Syria as another flashpoint in the Iran-Saudi rivalry.
"Assad was allied with Iran and the Saudis were backing the insurgence," Nawaz told GB News.
These ongoing conflicts highlight the complex web of alliances and tensions that Trump's administration is navigating in the Middle East.
