What’s Preventing A Peace Deal In Gaza? Former Head Of Shin Bet And Hamas Official On Counterpoints

Israel’s ultimate bestie... That’s how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees US President Donald Trump. But is the feeling still mutual? From secret negotiations with Hamas and Iran to cutting Israel out of a surprise deal with the Houthis — the US hasn’t exactly been acting like a BFF. Benjamin Netanyahu was the first foreign leader invited to visit President Trump when he returned to the Oval Office. But that house call isn’t being reciprocated… Israel didn’t make the cut for Trump’s highly anticipated Middle East tour. And the US has been making pivotal diplomatic moves without taking Israel into account. For example, during his visit to Saudi Arabia, Trump relaxed the timeline for normalization with Israel as a precondition for broader economic agreements. Indeed, the transactional nature of the President’s Middle East tour points to a major diplomatic shift. If you’ve got something to offer Trump, he's ready to do business... and that could turn regional alliances on their head. The big question then is what all this could mean for Gaza. If America is entering a new phase of Middle East relations, could that weaken Israel’s hand? And could it strengthen the push for negotiations — and a firm “day after” plan? On this episode of CounterPoints we’ll debate: – Is the US now sidelining Israel on key negotiations? – Whether US recognition of Palestine is on the cards? – And what this ultimately means for the conflict in Gaza? Guests: – Ami Ayalon, Former Head of Shin Bet, Israel’s Internal Security Service – Basem Naim, Senior Hamas Official and Leader of the Organization’s Political Bureau – Avi Mayer, Founder of Jerusalem Journal and Former Editor-in-Chief of the Jerusalem Post – Ahmed Eldin, Host of the Out Loud Podcast and Journalist on Substack #Netanyahu #Gaza #Israel #MiddleEast #Counterpoints #IsraeliPolitics #Hamas #Counterpoints #AlArabiya #News