President Trump’s direct flight from Saudi Arabia to Tel Aviv on Monday is thought to be the first of its kind. The two countries have no diplomatic relations, and the flight was meant as a kind of symbolic gesture, bridging the gap between Israel and the Arab world on the U.S. president’s first overseas trip.
But Trump appears to be interested in more than mere symbolism. Upon landing in Israel, he waded into the thicket of Israeli-Palestinian relations, declaring: “We have before us a rare opportunity to bring security and stability and peace to this region and to its people.”
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| Trump with Abbas. (PPO via Getty Images) |
Trump thinks he can convince Sunni Arab countries to make common cause with Israel against Iran, and maybe he can. But as part of that larger regional realignment, he wants to settle the Palestinian question. Trump’s message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to be that the price of unifying Israel and the Sunni Arabs against Shiite Iran will be striking the “ultimate deal” between the Israelis and Palestinians.
That’s a tall order, and one gets the sense Trump doesn’t quite realize what he’s getting into. In his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in March, Trump said achieving peace is “maybe not as difficult as people have thought over the years,” adding that, “We need two willing parties. We believe Israel is willing. We believe you’re willing. And if you both are willing, we’re going to make a deal.”Read the rest from The Federalist HERE and follow links to related stories below:
Note From Israel: President Trump, Don't Believe The Palestinians
Trump Says He Believes Israel And Palestine Are ‘Ready To Reach For Peace’
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