Trump heads for Mid East fray
INEXPERIENCE, DOMESTIC PROBLEMS Unpredictable US president wants to bring peace to Israel-Palestine conflict.
US President Donald Trump heads for Israel and the Palestinian territories today as part of his first trip abroad since taking office – hoping to renew peace efforts, but with controversy trailing him.
The unpredictable president arrives having already upturned expectations when it comes to the decades-old Middle East conflict, giving Palestinians more hope than they may have anticipated and disappointing rightwing Israelis who heralded his election.
He has spoken of reaching “the toughest deal to make”, one that has long bedevilled US presidents, vowing “we will get it done”.
But he is also contending with a raft of problems back home, including a special counsel investigating into whether his associates colluded with Russia.
Any leader would face an enormous challenge in seeking to bring the Israelis and Palestinians together for meaningful talks, and Trump’s inexperience and domestic political struggles will only add.
Furthermore, Trump has faced criticism from Israelis in recent days related to the White House approach to the ultra-sensitive status of Jerusalem.
Concerns have also been raised over Trump’s sharing of intelligence with Russia. It is said that the intelligence originally came from Israel.
“I think the trip’s in a lot of jeopardy being able to be productive, because of all the chaos and controversy that’s going on in Washington,” Dan Shapiro, US ambassador to Israel under former president Barack Obama said.
Trump arrives in Israel this afternoon following his visit to Saudi Arabia, where Washington announced a huge $110-billion arms deal with Riyadh.
He will hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later in the day in Jerusalem.
Trump is expected to become the first sitting US president to visit the Western Wall, the holiest of holy sites, where devout Jews go pray. The wall is located in east Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967 and later annexed.
Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital, while the Palestinians view east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
Tomorrow, Trump will visit Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank for talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, who in the last years has become increasingly unpopular. – AFP