US administration silent on Israel’s occupation policy


Donald trump accepts Israel's occupation policies, doesn't expect them to give anything to the Palestinians

Donald Trump ,Jared Kushner and Binyamin Netanyahu

Akiva Eldar writes in Al Monitor, “For many years, under Israeli leaders from both left and right and American presidents from both the Democratic and Republican parties, Israelis were told they could not have their cake and eat it too: They could not keep millions of people under military occupation and still retain the decades-old special relationship with the United States. Israelis were convinced that the price of American support was concessions to the Arab side. But ever since President Barack Obama turned out to be a toothless orator, and even more so since Donald Trump took office, Israelis are realizing that they can have their cake and eat it too. They are not even required to throw the Arabs a few crumbs.”…

“The most recent Peace Index indicates that most Jewish Israelis buy into the approach that blames the other side. Some 58% of those polled in the last week of June believe the Palestinians refuse to meet with Trump’s envoys because they are not interested in reaching a peace agreement with Israel. The finger of blame is not only being pointed from the right wing of the political arena — some 51% of Israelis who define themselves as centrists prefer the explanation that the Palestinian refusal stems from their lack of interest in peace. They, too, reject the Palestinian explanation that Trump’s pro-Israel bias makes him unfit to serve as an honest broker. Paradoxically, most Jewish Israelis agree that Trump’s approach to the conflict is not balanced. No more than 30% of the Jews surveyed believe that Trump cares about Palestinian interests to some extent. On the other hand, 74% estimate that Israel’s interests are important or very important to him.”…

“Like his White House predecessors, Trump is committed to what is known as the “special relationship” with Israel. However, unlike Trump, past presidents managed to retain their status and image as honest brokers, even if their efforts did not always yield juicy fruit. The erosion of the balance between its bilateral ties with Israel and its standing as the only mediator in the conflict means the American carrots and sticks are no longer relevant in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict arena. To restore the balance to its previous equilibrium, the Trump administration must remind Israelis that they cannot keep gorging themselves on cakes and believe the pastries will remain whole forever.” (more…)

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