In the end, Benjamin Netanyahu has proven to be his own nemesis. Never has an Israeli premier been so shunned and their government so reviled by the international community. Following US President Donald Trump’s historic visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE last week, it now appears that the geopolitical realities of the Middle East are indeed changing, but not necessarily in Israel’s favor.

It is no secret that Trump has become impatient and irritated with the embattled Israeli prime minister. And while the White House has denied reports that the US president has threatened to “abandon Israel” unless the war in Gaza ends now, there are signs that Trump is allowing his administration to bypass and sideline Tel Aviv on a number of key issues.

Trump’s special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is reportedly negotiating directly with Hamas through backchannels in an effort to reach a permanent ceasefire and secure the release of all remaining Israeli hostages. The administration stunned Netanyahu when it announced last week that it had reached a deal for the release of an American captive in Gaza. It also surprised Israel when it revealed it had agreed to end hostilities with the Houthis in Yemen. That deal did not include a cessation of Houthi attacks on Israel.

The US administration blindsided Israel by deciding to negotiate with Iran in an attempt to seal a new nuclear agreement and avoid direct military confrontation. This is the last thing Netanyahu expected from the Trump administration. Indeed, as negotiations between the US and Iran commenced, Netanyahu was summoned to the White House to be told not to attempt to sabotage the talks.

There are signs that Trump is allowing his administration to bypass and sideline Tel Aviv on a number of key issues

Osama Al-Sharif

And while Trump’s position on Gaza and its future continues to waver, it is clear that Netanyahu’s decision to enforce a tight humanitarian blockade on the Strip for more than eight weeks has proved to be the most reckless and short-sighted move since the war began. Trump’s Gulf tour was overshadowed by desperate calls by UN agencies and other international bodies warning that more than 2 million Palestinians were facing famine as a result of Israel’s illegal move.

To make things worse, Netanyahu announced, as Trump was flying to Riyadh, that Israel was preparing for a full-scale invasion of Gaza — more than 18 months since the war started and 53,000 fatalities later — to occupy the Strip indefinitely. Netanyahu and his extremist ministers are now talking openly about forcing Gaza’s population to flee — a move that would destabilize the entire region for decades.

Trump’s patience with Netanyahu has run out. He looked the other way when Netanyahu pulled out of the ceasefire agreement and resumed the war in March. He had hoped that an Israeli military victory, much promised by Netanyahu, would bring an end to the carnage. But such a victory has become elusive. In the second chapter of the war, Israel’s army has run out of military targets and is now bombing hapless civilians in shelters and tent cities. And when these targets were not enough, its fighter jets took out the last functioning hospital in northern Gaza.

Trump must have heard pleas from his Arab hosts asking him to intervene to stop the daily massacres in Gaza — and, most importantly, to force Netanyahu to end the blockade and avoid all-out famine. On the way back from his trip, he hinted that the blockade would be lifted soon and that the flow of aid would resume.

But Netanyahu failed to read between the lines in his bid to keep his coalition government alive. Meanwhile, images of starving Palestinian children inundated the internet. These images, along with videos of the charred and dismembered bodies of women and children, reignited worldwide protests against Israel.

Western leaders finally mustered enough courage to condemn Israel. On Monday, the leaders of France, the UK and Canada issued a strong condemnation of Israel’s military operation in Gaza, demanding an end to the offensive and resumption of humanitarian aid, even threatening sanctions. They were joined by the foreign ministers of 20 other nations. France said it was ready to discuss suspending an EU free trade agreement with Israel.

France and other countries are considering recognizing Palestine as a state in the coming weeks. Spain is debating a motion to suspend arms sales to Israel. The UK announced on Tuesday that it was suspending talks on a free trade agreement with Israel.

US Vice President J.D. Vance’s decision to cancel a visit to Israel this week underlined the tensions between Trump and Netanyahu. A week earlier, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also canceled a trip to Israel. The message is clear: Trump has lost trust in Netanyahu, although he remains a staunch ally of Israel.

Netanyahu’s decision to cut all means of life for more than 2 million Gazans has proven to be political suicide

Osama Al-Sharif

The reverberations of this unprecedented crisis in US-Israel ties are already being felt inside Israel. Opposition to the war has reached a new high within Israeli society, with a majority now supporting a deal to bring back the hostages in exchange for ending the war. There are signs of disagreement between Netanyahu and his recently appointed army chief Eyal Zamir over the objectives of the war.

To make things worse for the Israeli premier, there are reports that the Trump administration is now looking beyond the Netanyahu era and is considering inviting a political rival and possibly the next prime minister, Naftali Bennett, to the White House to drive home a point.

On Monday, Yair Golan, a former Israeli general and head of a left-wing opposition party, triggered a media maelstrom in Israel when he criticized the carnage in Gaza, saying Israel is “killing babies as a hobby in Gaza.” Warning that Israel was on its way to becoming a pariah state, he added that “a sane country doesn’t engage in fighting against civilians, doesn’t kill babies as a hobby and doesn’t set for itself the goals of expelling a population.”

Netanyahu accused Golan of “antisemitic blood libel” — an accusation that Israel is now hurling against anyone who dares criticize its war crimes in Gaza.

But Netanyahu is no longer feeling safe, either at home or abroad. Sympathy for Israel has all but gone. His decision to cut all means of life for more than 2 million Gazans has proven to be political suicide. He has finally bowed to pressure and allowed a handful of aid trucks to pass through. He has lost a bid to involve American contractors in delivering the aid in Gaza. He now knows that his war on Gaza will soon come to an abrupt end. Then, the floodgates will open and his coalition and political legacy will quickly wash away.

Worst of all, the so-called new Middle East is indeed taking shape, but it is not the one Netanyahu bragged about creating a few weeks ago, with Israel sitting at the top. Trump has realigned America’s regional priorities, emphasizing a more creative, cost-effective and mutually beneficial alliance. Indeed, new geopolitical shifts are in the making and Netanyahu may become their first casualty.

• Osama Al-Sharif is a journalist and political commentator in Amman. X: @plato010