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Now it's starting to make a bit more sense
US-Houthi deal ‘creates momentum’ for US talks with Iran
Clara Broekaert, a research fellow at The Soufan Center, says the Trump administration is hoping to show “a certain amount of goodwill” and “evidence of [its] diplomatic skill” ahead of the US president’s visit to the Middle East this month.
As we’ve been reporting, Trump will travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in mid-May.
But on the US-Houthi deal, Broekaert noted “one very clear missing component” of Trump’s announcement is what the agreement means for ongoing strikes between Israel and the Yemeni group.
“It seems to be a much more limited deal, primarily focused on commercial vessels going through the Red Sea,” she told Al Jazeera.
‘Israel is really becoming a nuisance’ for Trump
Akiva Eldar, an Israeli political analyst, author and journalist, says the announcement of a US-Houthi ceasefire without Israel being informed beforehand marks a major development in bilateral relations.
“There is a completely different era now, and I think for Netanyahu this is a big surprise,” Eldar told Al Jazeera.
He highlighted how Trump recently surprised Israel by announcing the US is in talks with Iran and news reports saying National Security Adviser Mike Waltz was removed because he was “trying to negotiate some kind of strike on Iran with Israel without the approval of the president”.
“Those days when Netanyahu and the Israeli government were like the tail wagging the dog are over,” Eldar said.
Trump’s visit next week to the Middle East does not include a stop in Israel “because for him Israel has nothing to offer the United States. … Israel is really becoming a nuisance. The message is in the itinerary,” he added.
Germany’s Merz voices ‘concern’ on Gaza, to send foreign minister to Israel
Germany’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has voiced “considerable concern” about the Gaza conflict and said he would send his foreign minister to Israel this weekend.
The conservative Merz, 69, long a strong supporter of Israel, said that Israel has a right to fight the Palestinian group Hamas but must follow international law.
Merz, who took office on Tuesday, said Germany’s new foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, would travel to Israel at the weekend and that “we are currently preparing this trip together”.
Speaking to public broadcaster ARD, Merz said: “We view the developments of the last few days with considerable concern.”
“Israel has the right to defend itself against the brutal attack by Hamas terrorists on October 7 and everything that followed,” said Merz.
“But Israel must also remain a country that lives up to its humanitarian obligations, especially as this terrible war is raging in the Gaza Strip, where this confrontation with Hamas terrorists is necessarily taking place.”
He added that “it must be clear that the Israeli government must fulfil its obligations under the international law of war and that humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip must be provided”.
The walls are closing in on Netanyahu, which could be very dangerous for everyone in and around Israel...
