Trump, the world’s best deal maker forgot Israel

Here’s the good news: The Houthis are ready to surrender to the U.S., stating they’ve had enough and no longer want to fight. Who could blame them? After six weeks of a non-stop American military campaign against Yemen, intended to significantly degrade their capabilities, and put an end to their attack of ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, they finally cried, “uncle.” And that was the plan, forcing them to realize that the “680 strikes conducted in March and April,” were going to continue until they would finally relent. 

While the Houthis successfully prevailed in a long battle against Saudi Arabia, which began in 2018, they quickly learned they weren’t any match for the superpower which was no longer willing to put up with their threats and bullying.  Once Trump came into power, the plan to contain them went forward with full force.  

In response to their capitulation, accompanied by the promise that all attacks on international shipping would be halted, the American president declared, “They don’t want to fight. We will stop bombing the Houthis effective immediately. We will take their word that they won’t be blowing up ships.”

Now for the bad news: Israel was not a consideration in Trump’s decision, leaving us to fend for ourselves and take on the bully which has promised to bring down the Jewish homeland. Just a few days ago, on May 4th, Yemen fired a ballistic missile, which, unlike all the others, failed to be intercepted by our Iron Dome system, leaving a giant crater just a few hundred meters from the busy Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. As a result, Israel moved swiftly, attacking Yemen in a blistering airstrike, dismantling their infrastructure at their own international airport.  

In response, a Houthi spokesperson gave the following warning to Israel, “You must evacuate immediately. Our response, with God’s permission, will be devastating, painful and beyond the capacity of the Israeli enemy to bear. To all Zionists from now on, stay in shelters or leave your homelands immediately. Your failed government will not be able to protect you after today.” https://IsraelRealtime.com, May 6, 2025.

A perplexing question: Why would Donald J. Trump, considered to be the world’s best deal maker, the same man who has declared his unwavering friendship, loyalty and support for Israel, not use this golden opportunity, where he finally had the Houthis on the run, to include his greatest ally in a deal which would stop yet another conflict. Isn’t that among the president’s highest aspirations – to put an end to all the existing wars? And if his military has the power to do just that, why not kill two birds with one stone?

None of this makes any sense. It’s like turning down the free item in the “buy one, get one free” offer. By using the leverage which was gained through the relentless American military campaign, over the last two months, the Trump administration could have milked this ceasefire for all it’s worth. Yet they somehow forgot that their Middle-East bestie is now in a vulnerable position, left to defend herself from a tribal, brutal force who feels they have nothing to lose.

Funded by Iran and fueled by extreme Islamic ideology, which longs to see the demise of the Jewish state, what do they care if their fellow Yemeni citizens suffer the effects of Israeli retaliation for the brazen attacks they continue to launch – morning, noon and night, doing their utmost to hit power plants, vital infrastructure, army bases and now our airport.

Having felt empowered and drunk on the exhilaration of making a hit on a crucial target, such as Ben Gurion Airport, the Houthis wasted no time warning every commercial airline that they will no longer be safe if they continue to fly to Israel.

In an email statement, “sent to the International Air Transport Association, the global airlines body and the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization, the Houthis called upon all international airlines to take this into serious consideration and cancel all their flights to the airports of the criminal Israeli enemy in order to safeguard the safety of their aircraft and passengers.”  

As a result, British Airways, Lufthansa, Air Europa, Air France, Swiss Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Ryanair and Wizz Air, all temporarily canceled flights to Israel, further hurting the economy which heavily relies upon tourism. Of course, that was part of the Houthi strategy, knowing that these companies would take their threats seriously.

So, it’s more than a bit puzzling why no one from the Trump administration would anticipate this type of response and pre-empt it by including Israel into any deal that would be negotiated between the U.S. and the Houthi terror group, as a complete deterrence to stop them from continuing to carry out their bullying campaign. 

A one-nation deal between these barbarians feels a bit self-serving, especially at a time when Israel is fighting a multi-front existential war which has caught the attention of the American president, to the extent that he has suggested that the region might be better served by transferring all Gazans to other geographic areas in order to rebuild Gaza, turning it into a coveted vacation paradise. Such an ambitious plan would be more effective if the war against Iran’s proxies - Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis could be defanged and extinguished. 

Here was a missed opportunity of gargantuan proportions – one that cannot be explained or excused.  But while President Trump may have forgotten about the Jewish homeland, her one true defender, the God of Israel has not! So, while it’s tempting to stand under the protective wing of the world’s superpower, it is neither the spiritual nor physical destiny of our people to be reliant upon a human benefactor who may or may not be there when push comes to shove.

This was such a case! And while it’s become more and more evident that we should not put our trust in Trump, despite his promise to stand by us, we must come to the realization that only One will not fail us, and that is the same sovereign God who has faithfully kept us as a nation over the past 77 years, defeating every enemy who has come against us.

Will He not continue to guard His investment, even at a time when others are trying to capitalize on developing another Garden of Eden in the land He established?