Another chance for ME peace
US President Donald Trump has been blamed for his many policy flip-flops, but you can’t blame him for not trying when it comes to peace in the Middle East. He started off on the wrong foot with rhetoric that threatened to derail efforts to find solutions to the region’s many problems. He first spoke of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel during his campaign last year. Once he took over as president, he leaned towards a one-state solution which pleased the right in Israel. On Israeli settlements, he has been (mercifully) consistent with his stand — they must stop. Then, Tel Aviv is not listening. Israeli Prime Minister has turned a deaf ear as his regime seeks territorial edge over the Palestinians before he enters into negotiations with the Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas. The Israelis are indifferent because they are getting what they want as they continue to encroach on Palestinian land. The Palestinians, as Hamas leader Khaled Mashal said, have no problem with the Jews, but this is a movement, a struggle against the occupation. Israelis, on the other hand, feel they are heirs of land that does not belong to them and are indulging in theft of territory. The UN has lost its standing among nations and looks increasingly impotent to offer solutions or even end conflicts raging across the world. More seriously, it is losing the moral ground as a peacemaker and peacekeeper.
Israel, meanwhile has turned both occupier and oppressor. Status quo suits the regime, while it frustrates the Palestinians, forcing them to resort to desperate acts of violence because they see a bleak future for their children if the situation persists. No land, no bargaining power, is how Israeli views the Palestinian predicament. With the UN having no role to play, only the US can influence Israel. Past presidents have toyed with the idea, but were unwilling to follow through with their plans. Trump comes with no baggage. He has turned unpredictablity into a virtue. He’s not presidential, merely unconventional. Trump is expected to make a trip to Israel later this month, and could make an unscheduled stop in the West Bank. He could prod, coax and even bully the two sides to talk. Let’s hope he pulls it off .