U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the signing of a household energy consumption policy law in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 9, 2025. (Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP)
During a closed-door meeting with donors this week at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized that his diplomatic efforts to resolve conflicts in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine were much more complex than anticipated, reported the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Saturday, based on several testimonies from attendees.
On Gaza, where daily bombings have killed over 3,000 Palestinians since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, breaking a cease-fire reached in mid-January shortly before he took office at the White House, Trump admitted that resolving the conflict was "particularly difficult."
"They'd been fighting for a thousand years," he said about the relations between Israelis and Palestinians.
‘Their approach has been successful’
This statement illustrated the president’s disenchantment after more than 100 days in office, he who had promised during his campaign to end the Middle East crisis "in a few days," as well as the one between Ukraine and Russia.
"Trump and his team have relentlessly focused on world peace and the protection of Americans and our allies," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said Friday. "Their approach has been successful — Houthis agreed to a cease-fire, 47 Americans detained abroad have come home, NATO countries are increasing defense spending, China is deterred, and we are closer to peace in the Russia-Ukraine War than ever before."
This week, the Israeli cabinet approved a plan to fully occupy the Gaza Strip if Hamas did not release the remaining hostages, estimated by the Israeli army to be 58, of which 34 have been declared dead. The cabinet of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly gave until the end of Trump’s visit to the Middle East, scheduled for next week, before executing its plan, noted the WSJ.
Ahead of this tour, Trump spoke with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer during a confidential meeting Thursday at the White House, reported Axios, citing two sources informed of the meeting. The discussions focused on new Israeli plans in its Gaza offensive, as well as ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
"We were shocked that the Trump administration didn’t tell us anything and we learned about it on television," an Israeli official told the outlet, about the cease-fire agreement reached by Washington this week with the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
However, while some U.S. administration officials were irritated by the resumption of Israeli attacks, Trump continued to talk about reconstruction and tacitly supports the continuation of Israeli military operations as long as Hamas does not release the Israeli captives, a "top priority" for the U.S. president, according to his spokesperson. "I can emphasize what is close to the president’s heart right now, namely the release of all hostages," she reiterated, responding to a press question.
‘Total Dismantlement’
The position of the Trump administration on the Iranian nuclear issue also sparked internal debates, particularly within the Republican Party, according to several officials, as reported by the WSJ. While a fourth round of indirect talks is scheduled this weekend in Oman between American and Iranian officials, after three initial sessions deemed "constructive" by both parties, only a "total dismantlement" of Iran’s nuclear program would be "acceptable" to Washington, Trump recently told NBC News.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff proposed that the U.S. lift sanctions and forgo any military option if Iran agrees to completely dismantle its nuclear program and purchase enriched uranium from the United States. However, no clear definition of what a "dismantlement" would concretely imply in Iranian plants has yet to be decided on the American side, while Tehran still refuses to abandon its centrifuges or renounce its civil nuclear capabilities. "We haven’t made that decision yet," Trump said Wednesday on NBC News.
The president has threatened Iran multiple times with military action, coupled with even stricter restrictions, in case of failed talks but has not succeeded in persuading most of his allies. In his usual style, he has also announced that he is now considering renaming the Persian Gulf to "Arabian Gulf," according to two American officials cited by the Associated Press on May 7.
During a press briefing, Trump quipped to journalists that he will have to "make a decision" on this name change during his upcoming visit to Gulf countries, while not wanting "to hurt anyone." This gesture was perceived as a gift to the Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia, which he hopes to rally to his project of regional normalization with Israel. If confirmed, his announcement would be formalized during his Middle East tour from May 13 to 16, where he is expected in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.