The Trump Peace Plan – Aiming Not to Make a Deal, but to Make a Deal Possible

The Trump peace plan tells the Palestinians that the sensible question is not whether a deal provides everything you think you are entitled to, but whether it is the best deal available. If their demands for “justice” include Israel’s destruction, it says, the United States will not support them and will not fight to preserve the status quo for their benefit. A notable feature of the plan is the warning that, if the Palestinians continue to reject peace unreasonably, the US will not block Israel from advancing its own claims to areas that, in the administration’s view, realistic peace talks would leave to Israel.

Israeli Sovereignty and Its Unlikely Benefactors

Dr. Alex Joffe
July 13, 2020
Paper No. 1641

PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s enthusiasm for the idea of applying Israeli sovereignty to parts of the West Bank can be explained by the desire to seize the historic opportunity created by President Trump’s uniquely favorable attitude to Israel. There is another element, however, that warrants close attention: Netanyahu’s reaction to the Obama administration’s relentless hostility.

Twitter Favors Dictator Khamenei over President Trump Against US Interests

Dr. Edy Cohen
June 2, 2020
Paper No. 1593

Twitter, which has spent most of Donald Trump’s presidency avoiding a public stand on his use of the medium, has slapped a “public interest notice” on his tweets about the rioting that is occurring in the US in the wake of the violent death in police custody of a black man, George Floyd. According to Twitter, Trump warranted this notice on the grounds that his tweets violate its rules regarding the glorifying of violence. Yet Twitter has nothing to say about the tweets of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, whose violent posts include hate speech and antisemitism and openly incite rioting and killing. Ted Cruz has called for the launch of a criminal investigation into Twitter’s violation of US sanctions against Iran.

The Trump Vision vs. the Obama Vision on Israel

Donald Trump is a longtime admirer of Benjamin Netanyahu, in part because of the Israeli PM’s willingness to go toe-to-toe with Barack Obama. Obama’s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was to support the Palestinians at Israel’s expense; Trump’s is the exact opposite.

Trump’s “Peace to Prosperity” Plan

For the past century, Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs have lived through an unceasing conflict, with the disputed issues remaining largely the same throughout. The realities on the ground mean no plan will ever be perfect, but President Trump’s “Peace to Prosperity” plan is the most realistic and achievable yet proposed.

A Short History of Palestinian Rejectionism

The consistent and enduring Palestinian rejection of any and all peace initiatives with Israel, most recently the “Deal of the Century,” calls into question the commitment of the Palestinian leadership not only to peace but to the very welfare and safety of the Palestinian people.

The “Deal of the Century” Is a Stimulus, Not a Blueprint

President Trump’s peace plan must be understood as a systemic impetus toward a new breakthrough rather than as a practical blueprint for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Democrats, Experts, and Peace Plans

The Trump “Deal of the Century” has elicited responses ranging from enthusiastic support to bitter rejection. Among those rejecting the plan are US Democratic candidates for president. Their instant and total rejection reflects an instinctive antipathy toward Trump but also an addiction to expert-driven processes that have failed for decades. The blanket rejection reflects non-zero sum conceptions in which there can be no winners or losers in the conflict, and reveals an instrumental view of Palestinians as stalking horses for other causes. But reality is creeping in and starting to change attitudes.

A Historic Opportunity That Must Be Seized

Regardless of the ambiguities and open questions attending President Trump’s “Deal of the Century,” Israel clearly stands at a historic juncture and must decide what to make of this one-time opportunity. About such moments it is said: “There are those who gain the world in a single moment and there are those who lose the world in a single moment.”

Trump Peace Plan Unlikely to Lead to Major Escalation, But IDF Is Taking Precautions

While few in Israel expect a major escalation to follow Trump’s announcement of the “Deal of the Century”, the IDF is conducting ongoing situation assessments to keep its finger on the pulse. The Israeli defense establishment is preparing to study the details of the proposal closely to see what conclusions can be drawn in terms of potential security ramifications.