YONI BEN MENACHEM -- Senior political officials claim President Donald Trump’s visit to the Gulf States was primarily driven by economic motives, aiming to secure trillion-dollar deals with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
In parallel, Trump strengthened Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by lifting economic sanctions on Syria and meeting with its new leader, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.
Security officials describe al-Jolani as a Turkish intelligence operative serving Erdogan’s interests, who helped overthrow Bashar al-Assad. Erdogan now plans to dominate Syria, establish seven military bases, and push Israel out.
They assert that Trump legitimized al-Jolani, formerly a senior figure in al-Qaeda and ISIS, and founder of the terrorist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. Ignoring Israeli warnings and U.S. counterterror experts, Trump overlooked recent massacres by al-Jolani’s forces against Alawite and Druze communities in Syria. When questioned, Trump described him as a “young, charismatic, tough guy with a powerful past—a real fighter.”