After wooing Israel, the Trump Administration has begun to turn the screws. The White House admonished Israel for its recent moves announcing the expansion of 5,500 settlements calling it "unilateral" and "undermining" peace efforts towards a two-state solution. One might have thought President Obama had never moved out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
It seems that Trump, ever the deal maker, wants to make what he once called "the ultimate deal" and bring Israel and the Palestinians to the table. But Trump has fallen into the trap of making this about settlements. If I've said it once, I've said a thousand times. If the settlements ended tomorrow, the Palestinians would not be mollified. They think Israel is one big settlement.
If Trump does bring Israel and the Palestinians to the table it will be more of the same. Israel will be expected to makes concessions and more concessions. The Palestinians ignore the terms of the deal and the White House turns a blind eye to preserve the deal for the sake of preserving the deal and President Trump's legacy.
Honestly, I'm not surprised Trump has taken this turn. He has criticized Israel for not being willing to make peace despite making numerous offers and has also suggested the U.S. must be neutral where it concerns Israel and the Palestinians. So I've never taken his overtures to Israel seriously. Any President truly committed to the future of a Jewish state would not exclude Jews from a statement commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day.
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