A Plot Twist
I love political thrillers. I also like political thrillers in real life. We saw one this week with the visit to America by Benjamin Netanyahu.
It’s very obvious that Netanyahu’s reception was much different than the one he was given by the menacing Barack Obama, a hardcore Marxist ideologue who has supported the Palestinians for decades.
Donald Trump has known “Bibi” Netanyahu for decades, and during their press conference, the Israeli premier also pointed out that he’s known the President’s son-in-law (and now political advisor), Jared Kushner, for a long time. Kushner has been tasked with finding a way forward in brokering a deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
(I do think Kushner himself, who is Jewish, has more of a “Millennial” perspective on all this, so don’t expect him to be a zealous Zionist, or one who invokes Israel’s biblical claim to the land. More than likely, the view from Washington on this issue will simply modify what diplomats have been pushing.)
What made the press conference between Trump and Netanyahu particularly newsworthy is that the new American president sort of off-handedly remarked that he wasn’t married to the Oslo deal, or the infamous “Two-State Solution.”
Trump said he’s fine with “whatever” state, in essence, that the Israelis decide is best for them.
This is huge. At least for four or eight years.
The truth is, the 25-year failure known as “Land for Peace” or “Oslo” or “Two-State Solution” has brought death to Israelis, and frankly, American presidents and Western diplomats haven’t cared about that. Any of them.
Trump did raise eyebrows by telling Netanyahu that he hopes he taps the brakes on building more settlements.
The truth is, no human government system is going to be optimum. What we do have now, however, is the best-case scenario for Israel politically…ever. Trump will be a friend to the Jewish state and I imagine that behind-the-scenes wonderful things will happen over the next several years.
The important stuff went on behind closed doors. For example, Netanyahu also met with Vice President Mike Pence, and they will come to consensus on “settlements.” As reported in The Times of Israel:
“The prime minister also reiterated his request that the US recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, something he put to Trump during their Oval Office meeting on Wednesday. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six Day War and extended sovereignty over the area in 1981. No other countries recognize Israel sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
“’We [will] formulate as soon as possible the creation of a mechanism to discuss with the White House construction in the settlements, with the intention of reaching an understanding on this matter,’ a member of Netanyahu’s delegation to Washington said after Thursday’s meeting.
“Netanyahu had responded to Trump’s request to rein in settlement activity on Wednesday by promising that Israel and the US would try to coordinate their positions on settlement construction in the West Bank, ‘so that we don’t bump into each other on this every time.’”
There will also be significant changes in the relationship between Israel, the U.S., and the corrupt United Nations.
So in a short period of time, the game has changed. The story has turned.
We know also that the Left will not rest even a second the next several years and will seek to damage America and Israel, so we must be vigilant with our prayers.