By Samia Nakhoul and James Mackenzie DUBAI (Reuters) -Nothing captured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's isolation more starkly this week than the image of U.S. President Donald Trump shaking hands with Syria's Islamist leader Ahmed al‑Sharaa - a man Israel has branded "an al‑Qaeda terrorist in a suit.

Trump’s trip started off with a glitzy welcome from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The President was joined by Tesla CEO and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) lead Elon Musk, as well as other important U.S. business figures including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink.

President Trump signed deals with Saudi Arabia and Qatar and reached out to Syria and Iran. But Palestinians got nothing, and Trump repeated his call for the U.S. to take over Gaza.