A delegation of three former foreign policy officials from the Trump administration met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other key figures in Israel on Monday, according to Reuters. The visit, which came amid strains between Israel and the Biden administration over the ongoing war in Gaza, aimed to gain a better understanding of Israel's complex domestic political situation.
The delegation included Robert O'Brien, who served as Trump's fourth and final national security adviser, former Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates John Rakolta, and former Ambassador to Switzerland Ed McMullen. In addition to meeting with Netanyahu, the group was scheduled to hold discussions with Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid and several other Israeli officials, the source said.
The visit took place on the same day that the International Criminal Court's prosecutor in The Hague announced that he had requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his defense chief, and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes. Both Israeli and Palestinian leaders dismissed the allegations and criticized the ICC's action. It remains unclear whether the Monday meeting occurred before or after the ICC's announcement.
According to the source, the delegation was not acting at the request of former President Trump and had no specific message to deliver to Israeli officials. However, all three members serve as informal advisers to Trump, who is likely to receive a readout of the meetings. The source emphasized that the group was engaged purely in fact-finding and relationship building, with no interest in getting involved in policy.
The war in Gaza, which began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, has resulted in the deaths of more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled enclave. The attack also claimed the lives of 1,200 Israelis and led to the abduction of 253 others, with well over 100 believed to remain in captivity in Gaza, as per Israeli tallies.
Trump has occasionally criticized Israel over its operation in Gaza and faulted Netanyahu for failing to prevent the Oct. 7 attack. However, the Republican candidate for president consistently portrays himself as a more reliable ally to Israel than his rival, Democratic President Joe Biden, in the lead-up to the Nov. 5 election.
During Trump's 2017-2021 White House term, the U.S. moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a long-held conservative goal that delighted Israelis but infuriated Palestinians. Rakolta, the former ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, played a significant role in the Abraham Accords, agreements signed during the Trump years that normalized bilateral relations between Israel and both Bahrain and the UAE.
O'Brien, who has emerged as one of Trump's top foreign policy advisers, is expected to play a significant role in a second Trump term should he return to office, according to several people with knowledge of their relationship. Foreign officials have regularly engaged with Trump or his advisers in recent months to better understand his likely policies should he return to the White House.
The Biden administration, while initially steadfast in its support, has expressed misgivings with elements of Israel's war strategy in recent months. This month, Biden paused shipments of thousands of bombs to Israel in response to Israel's decision to expand its assault on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, prompting Trump to accuse Biden of abandoning an ally.
