By Harry Moskoff, JNS
A realistic perspective on the dealmaker’s vision for Israel and the region.
Who wouldn’t want to be part of this White House, working to make America (and Israel) great again and to have that extraordinary feeling of being an insider and knowing what’s reallygoing on?
The harsh reality is that we, the public, have no clue what’s really flying over there. We know only what we are meant to know, i.e., what is being leaked and what we are being fed by the mainstream media.
After writing dozens of op-ed articles over many years, this might be my most consequential. It's not an easy piece for me to write! As such, I would like to offer here, if I may, a couple of important notes on U.S. President Donald Trump, his approach vis-à-vis Israel and what to expect in the Middle East as a result.
There is a common Hebrew phrase: "Hakol min hashamayim," meaning, everything is from Heaven, i.e., divinely ordained. It’s not by chance that the monumental events of the past few weeks are occurring at this point in history.
Let’s face it, we have a good man pulling the strings in the White House, thank God. Having said that, there are a couple of "buts" regarding what might be in store, not only to keep his deal alive, but also to hold on to his much-coveted Nobel Peace Prize nominations, the continuation of the Abraham Accords, and his ultimate intentions as president with respect to manifest destiny.
Note the following observations on Trump’s approach and philosophy. His ironclad commitment to making the ultimate deal means that he will do almost anything to have a partner on the other side with whom he can deal, no matter how bad they may be and irrespective of what negative effect it might have on Israel—or any other country.
Let me be clear. It’s not that the president is out to appease the Arabs specifically. And it’s not that Trump dispatched Vice President JD Vance to Israel because he wants it to become a vassal state. For sure not! For us in Israel, we have to keep in mind that it’s not personal. It’s just business. A challenge. A high-stakes deal in which, as far as Trump is concerned, he can chalk up another thrilling, personal win.
Perhaps most importantly, it is another chance for him to be loved by all! However, consider the following points:
All the above points are to the detriment of Israel’s future. The unstated intent of the Arab/Muslim countries is not just to acquire a Gaza state (most likely bereft of Jews), but a state that includes Jerusalem as its capital. Period.
In the long run, their goal will not change, no matter how much pressure Trump may apply. I don’t believe Trump will go so far as to subscribe to the option of dividing Jerusalem. We are safe from that for the next three years!
My sons have been soldiers in the IDF and it is known that almost every home in Gaza has a picture of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The Palestinians, the Arab nations and the whole Muslim world will not stop until Jerusalem becomes the capital of "Palestine." I’m afraid that this latest 20-point peace plan is just the first step towards that goal. The writing would appear to be on the wall.
But what if there are material breaches in the deal, which Hamas has already committed? I have lived in the media and diplomacy world for almost two decades now, including being a member of the White House press pool. How are all the international news channels currently reacting? Will all those pro-Palestinian channels call it out for what it is and put pressure on Hamas to abide?
To conclude, I’ll never forget Trump’s first victory party in New York after winning the election on Nov. 7, 2016. It was an unforgettable evening! I stood in shock and amazement as fellow Trump supporters stuck out their middle fingers at the press box and boldly told the reporters covering the event to go home.
Since then, the liberal leftists and their brand of political journalism have been slowly but surely discredited. Where does that leave us now as Israeli citizens?
I really am a big Trump fan. It was great to hear his charm offensive in the Knesset, but are we to believe that he would purposely turn on the Jewish state just to close a new ״Deal of the Century״? I don’t think so.
He has been very good to the Jewish state, trying to make us great again as well (and keep us out of bomb shelters), but we are living in prophetic times where the unlikely may suddenly become the likely. In this day and age, none of us, even the insiders, can ascertain what will actually happen next.
One thing we do know, though, is that at the end of the day, everything that happens is divine providence; that is to say, for our own good.
I was recently interviewed on KRM, a South Korean news agency. The interviewer asked me for my take on the peace deal that was signed in Egypt. I responded that, practically speaking, history has shown that it’s not going to be easy to get to the next stage of the agreement and that view made me a bit of a pessimist.
She then asked me to explain what I meant by being "a pessimist." I responded, “A pessimist is an optimist with experience!”
Regarding the U.S. president, an insider would say, "Yes, move forward, but with caution. Be cautiously optimistic!"
