05-22-2017, 03:40 PM
Trump in Israel. This one for the Foreign Policy wonks.
Trump Comes to Israel Citing a Palestinian Deal as Crucial
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/22/world/middleeast/trump-israel-visit.html?_r=0
For years, Mr. Netanyahu has sought to make common cause with Sunni Arab nations to counter the Shiite-led Iran, while managing the Palestinian dispute as a subordinate issue. But as Mr. Trump arrived in Jerusalem after meetings in Saudi Arabia, the president indicated that he and those Arab states see an agreement with the Palestinians as integral to that new regional alignment.
“On those issues, there is a strong consensus among the nations of the world — including many in the Muslim world,” Mr. Trump said after a meeting with Reuven Rivlin, who holds the largely ceremonial position of president of Israel. “I was deeply encouraged by my conversations with Muslim world leaders in Saudi Arabia, including King Salman, who I spoke to at great length. King Salman feels very strongly and, I can tell you, would love to see peace with Israel and the Palestinians.”
Mr. Trump added that line to the remarks prepared for him, in effect tying the future of the anti-Iran coalition to the Palestinian issue despite Mr. Netanyahu’s longtime efforts to unlink the two.
This should overshadow the Intel scandal.
Is this just a matter of Trump agreeing with the last knowledgeable person he spoke to, or does this portend a real policy re-alignment in the Middle East? Not to mention a shift in priorities/preferences regarding allies?
Trump Comes to Israel Citing a Palestinian Deal as Crucial
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/22/world/middleeast/trump-israel-visit.html?_r=0
For years, Mr. Netanyahu has sought to make common cause with Sunni Arab nations to counter the Shiite-led Iran, while managing the Palestinian dispute as a subordinate issue. But as Mr. Trump arrived in Jerusalem after meetings in Saudi Arabia, the president indicated that he and those Arab states see an agreement with the Palestinians as integral to that new regional alignment.
“On those issues, there is a strong consensus among the nations of the world — including many in the Muslim world,” Mr. Trump said after a meeting with Reuven Rivlin, who holds the largely ceremonial position of president of Israel. “I was deeply encouraged by my conversations with Muslim world leaders in Saudi Arabia, including King Salman, who I spoke to at great length. King Salman feels very strongly and, I can tell you, would love to see peace with Israel and the Palestinians.”
Mr. Trump added that line to the remarks prepared for him, in effect tying the future of the anti-Iran coalition to the Palestinian issue despite Mr. Netanyahu’s longtime efforts to unlink the two.
This should overshadow the Intel scandal.
Is this just a matter of Trump agreeing with the last knowledgeable person he spoke to, or does this portend a real policy re-alignment in the Middle East? Not to mention a shift in priorities/preferences regarding allies?
![[Image: 4CV0TeR.png]](https://i.imgur.com/4CV0TeR.png)
