{"id":13165,"date":"2026-05-25T21:21:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T21:21:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/05\/25\/trump-dangles-normalisation-amid-pro-israel-criticism-of-possible-iran-deal-al-jazeera\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T21:21:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T21:21:22","slug":"trump-dangles-normalisation-amid-pro-israel-criticism-of-possible-iran-deal-al-jazeera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/05\/25\/trump-dangles-normalisation-amid-pro-israel-criticism-of-possible-iran-deal-al-jazeera\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump dangles normalisation amid pro-Israel criticism of possible Iran deal &#8211; Al Jazeera"},"content":{"rendered":"<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Since reports of a possible <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/liveblog\/2026\/5\/24\/live-trump-says-iran-deal-not-fully-negotiated-yet\">deal with Iran<\/a> started to emerge, pro-Israel advocates in the United States have been warning President Donald Trump against signing the agreement.<\/p>\n<p>Hawkish figures, including some prominent senators, have voiced opposition to any deal that fails to remove or at least severely weaken Iran\u2019s political leadership and destroy its military powers.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 3 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/5\/25\/iran-war-day-87-trump-says-us-not-in-rush-to-sign-deal-dashing-optimism\">Iran war day 87: Trump says US not in rush to sign deal, dashing optimism<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/5\/25\/israel-kills-three-in-attacks-on-lebanon-issues-more-displacement-orders\">Israel kills three in attacks on Lebanon, issues more displacement orders<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/features\/2026\/5\/25\/subdued-lebanon-liberation-day-celebrations-under-new-israeli-occupation\">Subdued Lebanon Liberation Day celebrations under new Israeli occupation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>But after Trump floated the prospect of more Arab countries establishing formal relations with Israel as part of the agreement, some of the critical voices softened their tone.<\/p>\n<p>US Senator <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/3\/9\/we-are-going-make-a-tonne-of-money-us-senator-graham-on-us-war-on-iran\">Lindsey Graham<\/a> was among those politicians. On Saturday, Graham \u2014 a vocal proponent of the war \u2014 warned that ending the conflict in order to reopen the Strait of Hormuz would be a \u201cnightmare\u201d for Israel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is important we get this right,\u201d he wrote in a social media <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LindseyGrahamSC\/status\/2058245974733058140\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post<\/a> on Saturday that was shared by the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/5\/20\/as-aipac-becomes-toxic-it-is-trying-to-conceal-spending-in-us-elections\">American Israel Public Affairs Committee<\/a> (AIPAC), a US lobbying group.<\/p>\n<p>Two days later, on Monday, Trump said it \u201cshould be mandatory\u201d for countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan to set up diplomatic relations with Israel as part of a US agreement with Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Graham then praised the push, calling Trump\u2019s diplomatic manoeuvre \u201csimply brilliant\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith Saudi Arabia and others like Pakistan making peace with Israel, the region will know a level of stability never dreamed of before President Trump,\u201d the senator <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LindseyGrahamSC\/status\/2058916648950628661\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote<\/a> on the social media platform X.<\/p>\n<p>Normalisation with Israel, Graham added, \u201cwill eventually lead to regional integration, making the Middle East a powerhouse for economic opportunity and good instead of a powder keg\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"abraham-accords\">Abraham Accords<\/h2>\n<p>Pro-Israel political commentator Mark Levin, who is close to Trump, similarly praised the normalisation push on Monday after criticising the potential deal with Iran on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis would be a truly massive accomplishment!\u201d Levin said, commenting on Trump\u2019s proposal.<\/p>\n<p>The turnaround came on Monday, after Trump laid out his vision for expanding the Abraham Accords, a series of normalisation deals between Israel and nearby Arab states.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords,\u201d he wrote on Truth Social, listing six countries, including Turkiye and Egypt, which already have formal diplomatic relations with Israel.<\/p>\n<p>None of the countries Trump mentioned responded to his call. But for years, many countries refused to normalise ties with Israel, especially after its genocidal <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/5\/24\/israeli-attack-on-gaza-kills-three-family-members-including-infant\">war on Gaza<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said that it stands by the 2002 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2010\/3\/28\/the-arab-peace-initiative\">Arab Peace Initiative<\/a>, which calls on Israel to recognise the Palestinian state based on its 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.<\/p>\n<p><span>Trump\u2019s demand on Monday comes as his administration struggles to negotiate a peace deal after the US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Critics have questioned Trump\u2019s objectives in the war, which started with the idea of regime change in Iran, ending the nuclear programme, and curbing the country\u2019s missile arsenal. Later, another pressing goal imposed itself as one of the main objectives: to forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital trade route through which more than 20 percent of the world\u2019s oil is shipped.<\/p>\n<p><span>It is unclear whether Trump has the leverage to mandate policy to other countries in the region as part of the peace negotiations with Iran.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The renewed normalisation push, however, could soften the blow for pro-Israel politicians who oppose ending the war with Iran.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Dania Thafer, the executive director of Gulf International Forum, said <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/video\/newsfeed\/2026\/5\/25\/trump-links-iran-negotiations-to-expansion-of-abraham-accords\">Trump is trying<\/a> to present the war, which has been a \u201cstrategic failure\u201d as a success for the US and Israel.<\/p>\n<p>But Gulf states \u2013 particularly Saudi Arabia and Qatar \u2013 are \u201cnot interested\u201d in normalisation at this stage, Thafer told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the Palestinian cause, Thafer explained, Gulf countries \u2013 which came under Iranian attacks during the war \u2013 do not want to \u201ctip the balance in favour of Israeli-led regional order\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>She said the normalisation push could potentially derail a US agreement with Iran if Trump insists on it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much is this rhetorical and symbolic versus how much of this is really the substantive policy position of the Trump administration? I think that\u2019s the question that we\u2019re unclear about,\u201d Thafer said.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"republican-criticism\">Republican criticism<\/h2>\n<p>Since his first term as US president, Trump has made normalising Israel\u2019s foreign relations a top priority.<\/p>\n<p>In 2020, with Trump\u2019s backing, Israel signed the Abraham Accords with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, establishing bilateral diplomatic relations.<\/p>\n<p>But Trump and the predecessor to his second term, former President Joe Biden, have failed to expand the accords. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also continued to reject the idea of a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/11\/israels-netanyahu-says-there-will-be-no-palestinian-state\">Palestinian state<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Israel has long sought to separate its efforts to build regional ties from its continued <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/7\/19\/world-court-says-israels-settlement-policies-breach-international-law\">occupation<\/a> of Palestinian land and its mistreatment of Palestinians, which rights groups say amount to apartheid.<\/p>\n<p>Forging more formal ties with Arab and Muslim nations could boost Israel politically and economically, while further isolating Palestinians.<\/p>\n<p>Trump faced rare \u2014 albeit indirect \u2014 criticism from legislators in his Republican Party over the weekend, when the details of a possible peace deal with Iran leaked.<\/p>\n<p>Its terms reportedly included the unfreezing of billions of dollars in Iranian assets and an end to the war, with the promise of further negotiations.<\/p>\n<p>Senator Ted Cruz, a staunchly pro-Israel Trump ally, said on Saturday that he was \u201cconcerned\u201d about reports of the agreement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the result of all that is to be an Iranian regime \u2014 still run by Islamists who chant \u2018death to America\u2019 \u2014 now receiving billions of dollars, being able to enrich uranium &#038; develop nuclear weapons, and having effective control over the Strait of Hormuz, then that outcome would be a disastrous mistake,\u201d Cruz wrote in a social media post.<\/p>\n<p>AIPAC also shared a post by Republican Senator Roger Wicker criticising the deal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe rumored 60-day ceasefire \u2014 with the belief that Iran will ever engage in good faith \u2014 would be a disaster,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cEverything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mike Pompeo, who served as secretary of state during Trump\u2019s first term, joined in the criticism, likening <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/liveblog\/2026\/5\/23\/iran-war-live-tehran-says-diplomacy-continues-but-no-deal-yet-with-us\">the rumoured deal<\/a> to the 2015 nuclear agreement that was negotiated by Democratic officials.<\/p>\n<p>He added that it was \u201cnot remotely America First\u201d, a reference to Trump\u2019s campaign pledge to put US interests above all.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s straightforward: Open the damned strait. Deny Iran access to money. Take out enough Iranian capability so it cannot threaten our allies in the region,\u201d Pompeo said. \u201cOverdue. Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration was quick to hit back against the former top diplomat, describing him as misinformed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMike Pompeo has no idea what the f*** he\u2019s talking about,\u201d White House Communications Director Steven Cheung wrote on X.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe should shut his stupid mouth and leave the real work to the professionals. He\u2019s not read into anything that\u2019s happening, so how would he know.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since reports of a possible deal with Iran started to emerge, pro-Israel advocates in the United States have been warning President Donald Trump against signing the agreement. Hawkish figures, including some prominent senators, have voiced opposition to any deal that fails to remove or at least severely weaken Iran\u2019s political leadership and destroy its military [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13165\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}