Transactional Arab Deals Worth Billions, but God’s Blessing Is Priceless

In the wake of President Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, it seems there's not a cash register big enough to count all the money in investments and military contracts coming into America from the deals that were made. On the surface, that's a good thing for specific American industries and jobs, at least in limited areas. However, because of the nature of the military deals during a tour that did not include a stop in Israel, and not much mention of Israel at all, as well as missing the opportunity to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords as part of these deals despite all the financial and military commitments to the Saudis, or pressure Qatar to pressure Hamas to release all the hostages, many see this as a missed opportunity at best.  

This is especially so with Qatar getting deals with more than $1 trillion, recognized as the home base of and primary funder of Hamas and some of the most extremist Moslem Brotherhood and other Islamic extremism in the world. Qatar made deals worth trillions of dollars to invest/influence in controlling and corrupting the West. It's not just rhetoric, it's been their strategy for decades, the anti-American ill effects of which America is now experiencing. 

Considering the corrupting influence of Qatar in the US, specifically among American universities where they essentially control the purse strings of specific institutions, faculty, media, and a well-oiled Qatari lobby, their investment also means ownership. It's not a good thing to sell shares of America to such extremists with an anti-Western nefarious agenda. 

During his Saudi visit, Trump also met with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, the 89-year-old PLO terrorist in a suit, currently serving his 20th year of a four-year term. In addition to being a PLO leader, perpetual impediment to peace, constantly blaming Israel for all the problems of the Palestinian Authority rather than building and investing in his own people, "Dr. Abbas" has his PhD in Holocaust denial from a Soviet university. 

Trump also met with and praised Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, essentially coronating a man who took his position after a violent revolution six months ago, one that still threatens Syrian minorities including Druze, Kurds, Christians, and others. 

"[He's] a young, attractive guy. Tough guy," Trump stated, saying that Al- Sharaa/Julani was a "fighter" with a "strong past." These are perhaps factual statements, but not qualities for a leader of a country that's still fighting a civil war, much less an ally. 

As much as Abbas is a terrorist in a suit, Al- Sharaa/Julani (Golani) has barely had time to get his terrorist uniform dry-cleaned since his now-legitimized revolution. He was a member of al-Qaeda in Iraq shortly before the 2003 US invasion, where American forces captured and imprisoned him from 2006 to 2011. How he must be enjoying the irony of once being held by the US as a terrorist and now being praised by its President. 

Al-Sharaa/Julani then created the al-Nusra Front in 2012 with the support of al-Qaeda to fight the Assad regime in Syria. He rebranded to form another terror group, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in 2017, and served as its leader for eight years before becoming President of Syria.  

Singing Al-Sharaa/Julani's praise, President Trump announced he would lift sanctions on Syria, providing an open faucet of foreign investment with no control, further entrenching Al-Sharaa/Julani and HTS as the rulers of Syria. While one can make a legitimate claim that doing so might limit Turkish influence in Syria, the question remains whether propping up a terrorist in a suit who won his position via an ongoing bloody revolution is truly in US interests. Does doing so just strengthen Al-Sharaa/Julani's brutal and undemocratic control of Syria and actual freedom for the Syrian people, especially its minorities? 

With all these, and despite reassurance that there is no change in US policy vis a vis Israel, the war against Hamas, widening the Abraham Accords, and ongoing negotiations with Iran gives Israel legitimate reason to fear Iran's nuclear capabilities could be left intact (as well as the Islamic regime empowered), Israelis are rightly concerned. Many see the reassurances and actual reality – specifically empowering Qatar and Syria – as being in contradiction. 

While on a speaking tour in the US last month, this came up repeatedly in public and private conversations, as well as several media interviews. The sense is/was it's too soon to judge, but there are concerning signs. Even the Saudi and Qatari investments are a mixed blessing because it gives them that much more ownership and influence. How many more Americans' salaries will be beholden to and influenced by these undemocratic Islamic regimes? 

Concerning negotiations with Iran, my Maryland host offered the following thought: that while it's hard to know if Trump actually has a plan or not or is just chasing big deals, maybe he's using the time in public negotiation with Iran to put the ordinance in place for the aftermath of the failure of these negotiations. My host suggested that by using the time to negotiate, the US can also be preparing for what Trump says he doesn't want but may be inevitable: a military destruction of all Iranian nuclear facilities. 

There's another Biblical comfort relating to the actual value of the deals having been made that evoke the old Master Card commercials. 

• Qatari investment in United States industry - $1.2 trillion
• Saudi investment in United States industry – $600 billion
• Combined Qatari civilian plane and arms deals with American companies - $238 billion
• Receiving God's blessing for being a blessing to Israel (Gen. 12:3) – PRICELESS

Many in the faith community were distraught by President Obama's and President Biden's repeated snubbing of Israel and propping up the Islamic Republic with billions of dollars. There is a corresponding concern that the United States would be outside of God's promises of being blessed for blessing Israel. Today, the faith community needs to make it clear to the administration that while trillions of dollars of short-term deals and investments are generally a good thing, albeit giving these Arab nations a deep ownership stake in US industry with no commitment to peace in the region, the real US benefit comes from the eternal contract to which it must remain a party to: continuing to be a blessing to Israel, beginning with President Truman's recognition of Israel just 15 minutes after it declared independence. 

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Win McNamee/Staff

The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of the Salem Web Network.

Jonathan Feldstein is president of the Genesis 123 Foundation (www,genesis123.co) whose mission is to build bridges between Jews and Christians and Christians with Israel. He was born and educated in the U.S. and immigrated to Israel in 2004. He is married and the father of six, and grandfather of four (so far). 

Originally published May 27, 2025.