Trump to speak with Qatar’s emir ahead of summit with Netanyahu; White House ‘exasperated’ with PM — report

Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (L) and US President Donald Trump leave after a signing ceremony at the Royal Palace in Doha on May 14, 2025. (Photo by Karim JAAFAR / AFP)
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (L) and US President Donald Trump leave after a signing ceremony at the Royal Palace in Doha on May 14, 2025. (Photo by Karim JAAFAR / AFP)

US President Donald Trump will speak by phone with Qatari Emir Tamim Al Thani before hosting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today, Axios reports, amid Arab concerns that Trump is altering his Gaza proposal to meet Israeli demands.

Trump’s advisers tell the outlet that there is growing frustration with Netanyahu in the White House, and that if he says no to Trump’s proposal to end the war, he will be blamed.

“The Arabs have agreed to it like 100%. Now we’re waiting for the president to work his magic on Netanyahu,” a Trump adviser tells Axios.

“Everyone — and I mean everyone — is exasperated with Bibi,” says another aide.

Both US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s influential son-in-law Jared Kushner have “just about had it” with Netanyahu, says an adviser. “Both are at their wits’ end with Israel.”

Some advisers have been telling Trump that his ability to force an end to the fighting in Gaza is a test for his credibility on the world stage.

According to Axios, the White House saw an opportunity after Netanyahu ordered a strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar earlier this month.

“When Bibi sent those missiles into Qatar, he united the Gulf state Arabs,” Trump’s adviser tells Axios. “They are all one. They speak with one voice… It was a rallying effect. And on this, for the first time, you really had a monolithic Arab world. And Witkoff and [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio said: ‘Aha, this is the time.'”

Advisers have also told Trump that Netanyahu is worried primarily about political survival, has been destabilizing the Middle East, and was “manhandling” him. One adviser mentioned Netanyahu’s focus on domestic online political discourse in the US, calling it a “bizarre obsession.”

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