https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-853657
US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday. Among the meetings, one stands out: an expanded session in Riyadh that will include Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa (also known as al-Julani). For Israel, this development is troubling on several fronts.
Mahmoud Abbas is not attending because he insisted; he was invited by the crown prince. He will be part of a group of Arab leaders meeting the US president during his visit to Saudi Arabia. The invitation is a deliberate move, intended to place critical regional issues directly before Trump.
Regardless of Trump’s intentions, the regional message is unmistakable: the US is stepping back, leaving Israel to manage its own threats. The US is no longer Israel’s “Iron Dome.” That is the current reality, whatever anyone may claim.
Trump, acting according to a pragmatic and transactional approach, may not recognize the reputational and strategic damage this is causing Israel. If normalization is no longer a condition for US-Saudi ties, Israel’s role is diminishing. Riyadh can obtain trade and possibly nuclear deals without needing to talk about Israel.
Israel’s diplomatic relevance is slipping. Its standing is at a historic low. Netanyahu has no compelling offer for a US president focused on outcomes. Trump is pressing ahead with his priorities — and that is what matters.
Or this is a repeat of 2000 where everything will be handed to Abbas and he will walk out of the room after rejecting it.
ReplyDeleteOr earlier when Jim baker was putting all kinds of pressure on Shamir.
ReplyDeleteIsrael doesn't have $1 trillion to invest in America. Trump needs the cash from somewhere, and he doesn't want to beg the Chinese for it.