When President Donald Trump embarked on his recent Middle East tour, what began as a seemingly routine diplomatic mission quickly escalated into a geopolitical spectacle. With over $2 trillion in investment commitments announced, historic conversations with Arab leaders held, and a new chapter in U.S.–Israel regional strategy unfolding, Trump’s approach marks a seismic shift in American foreign policy.
But beyond the dollar signs and headlines, a deeper question arises: Can transactional economics with authoritarian regimes — and dangerously opportunistic figures like Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa — really offer Israel the security it deserves?
Big Money…
The deals were jaw-dropping in scale. Saudi Arabia pledged $600 billion of investments in U.S. businesses in the defense, energy, technology, and infrastructure sectors, anchored by a record $142 billion arms agreement — an unmistakable show of loyalty to U.S. defense priorities. Qatar committed to $243.5 billion in commercial and military partnerships, including a massive Boeing aircraft order and long-term energy projects. The UAE stunned observers with a 10-year, $1.4 trillion framework focused on artificial intelligence, clean energy, and semiconductors. These numbers speak to more than mutual economic interests; they represent a U.S.-led realignment where business replaces traditional diplomacy as the primary tool for peace.
The UAE stunned observers with a 10-year, $1.4 trillion framework focused on artificial intelligence, clean energy, and semiconductors.
But let’s not mistake big checks for ideological transformation.
As someone who stands unapologetically with Israel, I say this without hesitation: Much of the Arab leadership has spent decades using anti-Israel sentiment to distract from their own failures. They’ve exported hatred, financed terror, and suppressed any internal movement toward peaceful coexistence with the Jewish state. Their sudden pivot to economic partnership isn’t enlightenment — it’s survival. These regimes now realize that without American defense guarantees, their political futures are precarious at best. Let’s call this what it is: a pragmatic shift, not a moral one.
And yet, Trump’s boldest — and most controversial — move came in his engagement with Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. This man, until recently tied to Islamist factions and backed by networks that enabled years of terror, now postures as a “moderate” seeking normalization. Let me be crystal clear: Sharaa’s sudden transformation is not to be trusted. It is a calculated rebranding by a political opportunist who has sensed the winds changing in Washington and Tel Aviv.
…But We Need a Heart Change
I take a firm stance against Islamist apologists like Sharaa and the regimes that enable them. The Arab world has long played host to leaders who wear Western suits abroad and preach extremism at home. They crack down on dissent, jail journalists, and fund madrassas that poison young minds with Jew-hatred. If Sharaa wants legitimacy, he must do more than utter hollow promises. He must expel every last Iranian militia from Syrian territory, guarantee full religious freedom to Christians, Jews, and other minorities, and end all support — direct or indirect — for terrorist proxies. Short of that, no sanctions relief, no handshake, and no seat at the table should be made available from the U.S.
The Arab world has long played host to leaders who wear Western suits abroad and preach extremism at home.
Trump’s strategy, while tactically brilliant in forcing economic alignment, must be accompanied by moral clarity. Deals are not enough. Israel’s security cannot be entrusted to the whims of shaky dictators or former Islamists playing the moderate card. The United States must insist on binding treaties, legal enforcement mechanisms, and joint projects that physically tie these countries to Israel’s success. Think cross-border AI campuses, water desalination infrastructure, and cybersecurity hubs — shared assets that make conflict economically suicidal.
This vision — dubbed the “Silicon Crescent” — offers immense potential. A corridor of innovation linking Tel Aviv, Dubai, and Riyadh could redefine the region. Data could replace oil as the currency of influence. But this dream will collapse without durable legal frameworks and real cultural shifts. Peace built on profit can’t be sustained unless it is rooted in shared values, not just shared ventures.
True Freedom
We must also recognize the domestic political dimension. Trump’s insistence on religious freedom as part of his Syrian outreach was not just policy — it was a message to millions of evangelical and pro-Israel voters in the U.S. that America will not abandon its values in the name of expediency. That’s critical. Because too often, deals with despots have come at the cost of moral compromise.
Israel’s security cannot be bartered with regimes that see Jews as a bargaining chip or tolerate leaders with blood on their hands.
Critics of Trump argue that this strategy lacks nuance. I argue the opposite. It is the first approach in decades that understands what the Middle East really responds to: strength, clarity, and leverage. Economic interdependence is powerful, but it must be backed by enforceable red lines. The days of asking nicely are over. The new playbook is simple: build, invest, connect — but do so with eyes wide open.
In the end, Trump’s Gulf tour may indeed reshape the region. But it will only endure if the U.S. remains vigilant about who it partners with and why. Israel’s security cannot be bartered with regimes that see Jews as a bargaining chip or tolerate leaders with blood on their hands. Business may build the bridge, but it’s truth — and truth alone — that will determine whether it stands the test of time.
Published originally on May 21, 2025.
