Dear Friends,

President Trump takes off for the Middle East on Monday. There’s no shortage of pressing issues up for discussion in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. However, it's still unclear what Trump’s reaction will be to the Israeli government’s newly announced plans to re-seize large swaths of Gaza, and how the announcement might impact his discussions.

Notably missing from the itinerary? A stop in Israel. This comes despite reported lobbying on behalf of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s political confidants.

I’ll sit down with Middle East experts and former senior State Department officials Ambassador Michael Ratney and Jen Gavito today to talk through what to expect on Trump’s visit. Register for our discussion at 1pm Eastern / 10am Pacific >>

I hope to see you there.

– Ilan Goldenberg, Senior Vice President and Chief Policy Officer

Friends,

For the first time in his second term, President Trump is headed to the Middle East. Next week, he’ll be visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE to “strengthen ties,” according to the White House. The visit comes as the Middle East agenda is quite full, including the ongoing war in Gaza, nuclear negotiations with Iran, new governments in Syria and Lebanon, and deepening economic, energy and technology ties between the US and the Gulf States.

Ahead of Trump’s visit, the J Street Policy Center is hosting a virtual briefing with former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney and our policy shop’s own Jen Gavito, who previously served as acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs at the State Department. The discussion will be moderated by my colleague and J Street Chief Policy Officer Ilan Goldenberg.

Join us this Wednesday, May 7 at 1pm Eastern / 10am Pacific >>

Jen Gavito is a Policy Center Contributing Expert and a nonresident senior fellow with the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative within the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs. Michael Ratney served as President Biden’s ambassador to Riyadh and US Consul General in Jerusalem from 2012-2015.

Before Trump departs, we hope you’ll join us for this primer on what to expect from the trip as well as the high-stakes policy issues surrounding it.

Register here and mark your calendar >>

See you soon,

Adina Vogel Ayalon
Vice President and Chief of Staff, J Street

J Street is the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans who want Israel to be secure, democratic and the national home of the Jewish people. Working in American politics and the Jewish community, we advocate policies that advance shared US and Israeli interests as well as Jewish and democratic values, leading to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

This email has been sent to [email protected]. Too much email? Change your subscription settings or unsubscribe here. Email not displaying correctly? View here.