Beware of Trump Bearing Gifts!

Israel should be very cautious when dealing with Donald J Trump over the next four years and not become addicted to his generosity of spirit as he backs the State of Israel. Like Greeks bearing gifts, there are always strings attached, and Trump will be no different as he will pursue the self-interest of the United States as he should. However, as in the past, Israel’s self-interest and that of America will often diverge, and that divergence will be acutely felt as the Trump administration endeavours to sign up Saudi Arabia to the Abraham Accords where Donald Trump will dangle a two-state solution as a fait accompli before Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. As for Israel, maximum pressure will be applied; the carrot will be an uninterrupted flow of military hardware along with American support in the United Nations Security Council and the ‘Big One’—a joint Israel-America raid on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Nuclear facilities.

It will take all of Binyamin Netanyahus’ political acumen and diplomatic obfuscation to blunt the Trump charm offensive, and we haven’t even mentioned the ‘stick’.

President Trump will want his legacy to echo down the years as the man who brought peace to the Middle East and achieved the impossible two-state solution with a Palestinian state living next door to the Jewish State and picking up a ‘Nobel Peace prize’ along the way.

Netanyahu must grasp the awful nettle of Israel’s growing isolation regardless of the Trump Presidency’s support meeting the dangers confronting Israel Head-on with all his formidable strength of character as the Jewish State meets its challenges with courage, determination, and unwavering faith in its 3,000 year mission.