Silver lining for Israel

the end of Israel remains a cold and inconvenient truth. But I think it matters less.

Now Mr Trump has come to power, bets are off all over the world, and in particular in the Middle East.

The new US president has pledged to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, has appointed a pro-settlement envoy, and he will veto any future anti-Israel UN resolutions. And, of course, his sonin-law, Jared Kushner and his Jewish family, are at the forefront of financing settlement activity.

So, with the prospect of — possibly — eight years of Mr Trump looming, more realistic Palestinians may come to realise there nothing to be gained from intransigence and negotiate before Israel further entrenches its — very wrong, in my opinion — position on the West Bank.

It hardly needs stating that there are many unknowns. Mr Trump could come to an agreement with Vladimir Putin that would change the entire dynamics of the Middle East. There might be a revolution in Iran, a consequence of which could be the end of Iran’s support for the Palestinians.

And, who knows, Mr Trump may be impeached before his first term is up. As a feminist, I’d welcome the last outcome wholeheartedly.

As a Jew who supports the two-state solution, it might not be such good news.

Palestinians may realise intransigence brings nothing