Shortly after assuming office, President Trump began expressing doubts about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, questioning whether it was Netanyahu who stood in the way of a Middle Eastern peace deal and not Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

“Trump had always supported Israel but had recently began expressing doubts about Netanyahu and wondering aloud if the Israeli prime minister might be the real problem,” according to a new book by Bob Woodward. “Trump had even earlier said to Netanyahu on a Washington visit that he believed he was the obstacle to peace, not Abbas.”