Trump’s re-election a toss-up for the Middle East, says Israeli analyst

Donald Trump's return to the White House for a second term presents complex challenges for the Middle East, including for Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, says Yonatan Touval, a senior foreign policy analyst at Mitvim, the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies, in Tel Aviv.

"While Netanyahu appears to be gloating over Trump's victory, a second Trump administration with a stronger isolationist 'America First' stance could complicate Netanyahu's ambitions and make American backing less reliable," he tells Kathimerini.

"Trump's recent statements urging Netanyahu to end the wars in Gaza and Lebanon promptly, without offering diplomatic alternatives, could also signal potential friction with Netanyahu, who appears interested in negotiating a diplomatic end to the war in Lebanon all while continuing the war in Gaza indefinitely," he adds.