A US official speaking to The Times of Israel has denied a report that Trump administration officials have threatened to “abandon” Israel if it refuses to end its assault on the Gaza Strip.
The official was responding to a report from The Washington Post that cited a person familiar with discussions between the US and Israel. “Trump’s people are letting Israel know, ‘We will abandon you if you do not end this war,’” the source told the Post.
The US official speaking to the Times said there may be disagreements, but “the idea that we would abandon Israel is preposterous.”
Also on Monday, Axios reported that Vice President JD Vance cancelled a planned trip to Israel because he didn’t want to suggest the Trump administration endorsed the Israeli decision to launch a massive escalation in Gaza, which led to the slaughter of hundreds of Palestinians in recent days.. Vance denied the report, insisting his trip was cancelled for “logistical reasons.”
The US has recently taken steps in the Middle East that Israel was likely unhappy about, including the ceasefire with Yemen’s Houthis, the deal with Hamas to free US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander, and negotiations with Iran.
There have also been a series of media reports about friction between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but there’s no indication that the US administration is willing to leverage military aid to Israel to force Netanyahu to agree to a permanent ceasefire deal in Gaza.
A Hamas official said on Monday that there has been no progress in negotiations in Doha since Israel is only offering a temporary truce and won’t commit to ending its genocidal war. Hamas’s position has been that it’s willing to release all remaining Israeli captives at once in exchange for a permanent ceasefire.
