Is Israel’s great friend, President Donald Trump, backing away from Israel? It’s a question on the lips of many Israelis in recent days, with rumors flying that Trump plans to throw Israel under the bus to reach a broad deal during his visit to the region this week.
But US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee says the Trump Administration is “not at all” turning its back on the State of Israel.
Speaking to reporters on Friday (May 9) outside the Embassy in Jerusalem, Huckabee said there is no daylight between the US and Israel.
Trump left Washington DC on Sunday and was expected to arrive later in the day in Saudi Arabia, where he will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
During his three-day visit to the region, Trump is also scheduled to travel to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, but he has no plans to stop in Israel. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth postponed his own trip to the Jewish State this week in order to join Trump during his visit to the region — a move which Israeli officials said they understood and which does not worry them.
Money for America and a ‘Flying Palace’
The president’s visit is expected to focus on business and economic issues: Trump expected to unveil pledges from Saudi Arabia to invest $600 billion in the US over a four-year period, and from the UAE an investment of $1.4 trillion over 10 years.
On Sunday US media reported the Trump Administration is accepting a $400 million luxury Boeing 747-8 jet from the royal family of Qatar, which has acted on behalf of Hamas during hostage release talks for more than a year — and continues to host Hamas leaders in its capital, Doha.
The jet, described by sources as a “flying palace,” is to serve as a temporary Air Force One during President Donald Trump’s second term, but is to be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation by 2029, just before the conclusion of Trump’s second term in office.
Trump toured the plane while it was parked at the West Palm Beach International Airport in February.
Last week the president announced a ceasefire deal with Iran’s proxy in Yemen, the Houthis — but again, the deal did not include Israel, and the Houthis fired a hypersonic ballistic missile at the Jewish State on Friday to prove it.
‘President is Clear: No Conflict or Separation’
“There is no sense of conflict or issue of separation between the United States and Israel,” Huckabee told reporters. “The president has made that clear.”
Huckabee agreed that there is a “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza but emphasized that it has been caused and is being perpetuated by the Hamas terrorist organization, whose operatives have stolen nearly all the aid delivered to the enclave up to this point.
‘Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza’, New Plan to Deliver Aid
Huckabee also announced the official start of a new American effort to deliver food and essential supplies to Gaza civilians while ensuring Hamas doesn’t steal the aid.
“The focus is going to be on getting the food to the people who are hungry and keeping it away from Hamas,” he said. “It’s really that simple, and how we make that happen is going to be the really challenging part.”
The Israel Defense Forces will secure the project: “They will be involved in keeping the perimeter safe, and they’re the only ones who can do that,” Huckabee said.
Israeli soldiers will be providing military support at “security perimeters built by the IDF at a distance from the distribution point” — but will have no role in the delivery or distribution of the aid, Huckabee emphasized.
Security at the distribution points will be provided by private military contractors, and “there will be private security that will be responsible for ensuring the safety of the workers both getting into the distribution centers and then in the distribution itself,” he explained.
“This is not an IDF or an Israeli operation; that would cause some potential partners to say, ‘We don’t want to be involved,’ the ambassador underscored.
“They share the same concerns we do, to make sure that Hamas doesn’t have any of it,” he said.
Huckabee declined to say where the funds for the aid are coming from. Nor did the ambassador identify the military contractors.
