As he prepares to jet off Monday on his first working foreign trip of a breakneck second term, President Donald Trump will be met head-on with the uncertain future of war-torn Gaza and its beleaguered residents — as congressional Democrats remain flummoxed by his emerging foreign policy approach.
Trump chose Saudi Arabia and neighboring United Arab Emirates and Qatar as the first countries to receive an official visit, snubbing traditional allies such as Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and France — and, notably, Israel. The Gulf Arab countries he’s visiting next week have been heavily involved in talks aimed at ending the war in Gaza, with the future of the devastated territory very much up in the air.
The American president, whose first overseas trip of this term was to Italy for the funeral of Pope Francis, is expected to hear from the Arab leaders about several pressing matters. Atop that list is ending the fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, setting a long-term plan to rebuild and stabilize the strip, as well as the potential normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
