The carefully choreographed meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump delivered exactly the imagery both sides wanted. Smiles, praise and repeated declarations of a special relationship dominated the optics. Substantively, however, the announcements were limited and tightly controlled.
Trump repeatedly called Netanyahu a hero and said he personally arranged for the President of Israel to grant him a pardon for the charges he faces. Netanyahu responded by praising what he described as the strategic clarity of US leadership. The message was one of unity, even though tensions over Gaza, the scale of Israeli operations and unresolved debates about post war governance have strained the relationship throughout 2025.
Little movement on Gaza and the West Bank
On Gaza, the meeting produced no new timeline or mechanism for disarming Hamas. Trump reiterated that disarmament remains a prerequisite but offered no specifics on who would enforce such a plan or at what political cost. His remarks focused instead on consequences for any party that fails to abide by existing commitments.
The future administration of Gaza remained unaddressed in public comments. AP has previously described this issue as highly contested and a central point of disagreement between Washington and Jerusalem.
A similar approach appeared with the West Bank. Trump acknowledged differences over settlement expansion but expressed confidence that Netanyahu will do everything necessary to limit new activity. Reuters recently reported that Washington remains sceptical of Israel’s willingness to curb settlement growth but the matter did not appear in the joint remarks.
Hard talk on Iran but no new commitments
The tone became sharper when Iran entered the discussion. Trump said all options are on the table but avoided language that would close off diplomatic avenues. He warned that Iran faces consequences more serious than the strikes carried out last summer if it does not change course. Netanyahu received the firm rhetoric he wanted without any new operational commitment from the United States.
Turkey gains influence without being in the room
The most significant geopolitical signal emerged indirectly. Turkey, absent from the meeting, reappeared as a necessary interlocutor on Syria and in discussions about the post war architecture in Gaza. Turkey was presented as a regional actor that Washington cannot easily bypass.
This dynamic became clear at the end of the event. Asked whether he was considering allowing Turkey back into the F-35 fighter jet programme, from which Ankara was expelled in 2019 over the purchase of Russian S-400 systems, Trump replied: “I am thinking about it very seriously.” Reuters and AP highlighted the remark as the first public sign that Trump is willing to reconsider Turkey’s exclusion.
During President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Washington earlier this year, Trump offered no concessions and avoided any indication that the F-35 ban could change. The renewed openness, voiced without Erdogan present, signals a shift in tone in Ankara’s favour.
Strategic implications for Turkey and Israel
For Turkey, the benefits are considerable. It repositions Ankara as a country with strategic weight inside NATO, strengthens its bargaining leverage with Washington and signals that sanctions and defence exclusions are not permanent but can shift when geopolitical balances change.
For Israel, the picture is more complex. A Turkey regaining strategic relevance is not an easy development for Jerusalem, yet Washington appears increasingly convinced that Ankara remains essential for any workable approach to Syria and to managing the regional landscape after the Gaza war.
The Mar-a-Lago meeting reaffirmed the US Israel relationship but left the central questions of Gaza, Iran and regional stability unanswered. The clearest geopolitical message did not concern Gaza or Iran. It concerned Turkey, a country absent from the room but central to the strategic conversations surrounding it.
Sources: Reuters, Associated Press