Trump here demonstrates such a spectacular misunderstanding of the situation between Israel and the “Palestinians” that it is a miracle that he accomplished as much as he did, and that the Abraham Accords were ever concluded. They were a masterstroke, accomplished by bypassing “Palestinian” jihad intransigence. And moving the US embassy to Jerusalem was a strong stand against “Palestinian” threats and intimidation. But Trump clearly doesn’t understand that Netanyahu didn’t want a deal that would aid and enable the “Palestinian” jihad, or that Abbas was manipulating him by appearing to be “almost like a father.” And Trump clearly doesn’t understand the jihad imperative that will make any genuine peace deal impossible, as The Palestinian Delusion explains.
“Trump says Netanyahu ‘never wanted peace’ with the Palestinians,” by Barak Ravid, Axios, December 13, 2021:
Former President Donald Trump contends that one big reason his “ultimate deal” between the Israelis and Palestinians collapsed is that then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu never wanted to make peace.
The big picture: Trump went from a failed Middle East peace plan to four normalization deals between Israel and Arab states within the span of one chaotic, tension-filled year. This behind-the-scenes account of how that happened is based on interviews with Trump and nearly all of the other key players.
What he’s saying: “I don’t think Bibi ever wanted to make peace,” Trump told me in April, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname in a 90-minute, face-to-face interview for my new book, “Trump’s Peace: The Abraham Accords and the Reshaping of the Middle East.”
“I think he just tapped us along. Just tap, tap, tap, you know?”…
“I have been told by everybody that it’s not doable. Sheldon Adelson said it’s not doable,” Trump said, referring to the late Republican mega-donor, whom he referenced repeatedly in our interview when discussing his Middle East policies.
“The hatred is so great between the Palestinians and the Israelis. They learned from the first day to hate each other, especially the Palestinians toward Israel,” Trump claimed. “And Sheldon was a great deal-maker. He said it’s impossible.”
Nevertheless, Trump appointed his son-in-law Jared Kushner to lead the White House “peace team.” Kushner wasn’t even aware that he’d been tapped for the job until Trump told the New York Times during the presidential transition.
“I figured, look, you know the expression, ‘What do you have to lose?'” Trump told me.
Behind the scenes: Trump said that at an early stage of his presidency, he realized that Netanyahu would be a bigger obstacle to peace than Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
“I thought he was terrific,” Trump told me of Abbas, reflecting on their “great” first meeting. “He was almost like a father. Couldn’t have been nicer. I thought he wanted to make a deal more than Netanyahu.”
Abbas told Trump that he thought they could make a deal. Netanyahu urged Trump to wait.
“My whole life is deals. I’m like one big deal. That’s all I do, so I understand it. And after meeting with Bibi for three minutes … I stopped Bibi in the middle of a sentence. I said, ‘Bibi, you don’t want to make a deal. Do you?’ And he said, ‘Well, uh, uh uh’ — and the fact is, I don’t think Bibi ever wanted to make a deal.”…
Trump also conceded that cutting aid to the Palestinians had not been effective in bringing them back to the negotiating table. “These are hardened people,” he said….
Trump and Gantz hit it off. “I thought he was great. A really impressive guy. In my opinion, it would have been much easier to make a deal with the Palestinians [with Gantz] than with Netanyahu. The Palestinians hate Netanyahu. … They did not hate Gantz. It’s a big factor.”…
Eva says
IF we can trust the journalist who said this (a very big ‘if’, these days) then I will have to withdraw my support from Trump, as clearly he really is as stupid as a stump.
Put that together with the personal attack on Bibi, and it seems that for some unknown reason, Trump seems to have some kind of vendetta against him.
Either that, or he’s turned into a leftard.
Roland says
Trump is simply being Trump, a narcissistic mouthy old brat. Netanyahu, unlike many other Israeli politicians and generals, won’t be bullied.
Frank Anderson says
I am in a quandary. If Trump is “bad”, how much worse are the others? Looking at history for a parallel, if the Nazi’s were bad how much worse were the Communists? The Germans had no third choice to consider. Where is ours?
The ONLY way the imaginary palestinians will declare peace, such as it is to muslims, is that Israel ceases to exist, and ALL Jews everywhere are exterminated. That cannot change, be negotiated or reformed. That is what islam teaches and has practiced for 1400 years.
Tarr says
Trump’s “let’s make a deal” imperative is very shallow. He believes he can play everyone to get them all to closing. As rhetoric it may play politically but you got to have some depth. I love the guy and maybe he’s sticking it to Bibi for coming out and acclaiming Xiden so quickly after the 2020 election. I’d still vote for him before any of the lightweights and in the end he’ll do the “right deal” or take, “no deal”.
Infidel says
One thing about his deals is that they’re not irreversable. Let’s say he makes a bad deal and it shows up as bad, he’ll undo it and totally shake it up again. That’s very different from your average politician who’ll make any deal, and then stick to it through thick and thin. Plus he’ll connect any 2 things, like he did when threatening tariffs on Mexico unless they agreed on the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy
James Lincoln says
Very true, Infidel.
Just like the movie “Wall Street” (1987) when Gordon Gekko tells Bud Fox that he took another look at running Bluestar as an airline – and changed his mind.
Doomer says
I have my doubts it would come from Trump,since for years Trump has got info from STEVE BANNON of BREIBART news,
and Bannon has said Islam is evil for this and that reason.
Bannon is based ( knows reality), buddy boyos, as zoomers says.
He would know that from 1500-1800 Muslims captured 1 MILLION WESTERN Europeans as slaves (95% were men, mostly Spaniards and Italians).
One of them was CERVANTES ( author of “Don Quixote”),he was their slave for 5 years.
1. “White Gold: The Extraordinary Story Of Thomas Pellow And Islam’s One Million White Slaves “(2005) by
Giles Milton.
2.”The Forgotten Slave Trade: The White European Slaves of Islam” (2021) by Simon Webb
3.”Christian Slaves, Muslim Masters: White Slavery in the Mediterranean, The Barbary Coast, and Italy, 1500-1800 “(2003) by R Davis.
Infidel says
Problem was that within Trump’s circle, it was Jared who was against moving the embassy to Jerusalem, while Bannon urged it even on his own way out. I think Trump was conflating peace w/ promises of peace, and that Netanyahu told him that Israel couldn’t trade a tangible – land – for an intangible – peace. That is something that the author of ‘The Art of the Deal’ should have realized
Kesselman says
Trump’s trodding water here—what a cold shower it is. I thought the MAGA-man had the foot on the situation. Can’t he see through the fog? Obviously not! Discomforting.
Infidel says
Keep in mind that there is a significant portion of his base that conflates Jews w/ the likes of Weinstein, Epstein, Schneiderman, Rosenthal, Schumer, Jeffrey Rosenburg, and a whole lot of other Jews who’ve made it look like their community as a whole is deranged. As a result, they’re not sympathetic to Israel either, even though there is a world of difference b/w Israeli Jews and US ones
Mayor says
True, Infidel, as, too many Americans who claim to identify as Jews, are, in fact, JINOs, as, leftism is their true religion, with the democrat party as their temple. I write from personal experience, as, I have too many family members who exemplify my description. (myself not included)
jewdog says
Bibi’s call to Biden was just a simple pro forma gesture, done by all the pols as a matter of protocol, but Trump turns it into a personal slight. Is he paranoid, egomaniacal, ignorant, or all three? If he runs again we’ll have a crazy leader with good policies, opposed by a sane leader with lousy policies. Beam me up, Scotty.
Infidel says
Except that Bibi’s call to Biden came before January 6th, when the results were still being contested. At least foreign allies of Trump ought to have waited
James Lincoln says
An important point, Infidel.
DogOnPorch says
Biden is sane in the same sense my cat is a pro-golfer.
jewdog says
No, he’s an intellectual in the same sense that your cat is.
abu taleb says
Trump once complement a big corruptor Setya Novanto, then the speaker of the house in Indonesia, as ” a very, an amazing man” and “One of the most powerful men and a great man and his whole group is here to see me today and we will do great things for the United States” (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setya_Novanto). Novanto now is “jailed” (assume he is in jail).
Seems like Trump doesn’t mind doing dirty business with evil people when it gives benefit for him, the same way politicians and business people do.
James Lincoln says
As much as I had supported President Trump’s multiple domestic and foreign policies, he is not up to speed regarding islam – particularly involving the Israelis and the so-called “Palestinians”..
He needs to read, for starters, “The Palestinian Delusion”…
Frank Anderson says
James, I am concerned that he does not read. He may listen to a few counselors. But even they have problems with changing his views. I regret the situation. Please consider the choice Germans had, and how they compare with our choices today?
Infidel says
Not sure of that! After the San Bernardino massacre, he called for a ‘muslim ban’, and even if that morphed into something very different, he had the right instincts there. Also, at Riyadh, he called on his hosts to drive out all the hate preachers out of their mosques, and to his credit, at least Saudi Arabia and the Emirates so far have listened to him. There was also his quote during the campaign ‘I think Islam hates us’, and his pointing out Muslims in NJ who cheered on 9/11 – something confirmed by Rudy
James Lincoln says
Infidel,
Fully understand the points that you have outlined.
Though way better than most US politicians regarding knowledge about islam, he could still benefit from more education from staunch anti-jihadists (Robert Spencer, Jamie Glazov, John Guandolo, etc.)
Infidel says
Rudy has a pretty good idea of islam, so does Bannon, MTG, Lauren Boebert and some other supporters of his. Or he could talk to any of his military vet pals from either Afghanistan and Iraq, take them in private and find out what they really think of muslims, and islam
commonsense says
I find Barak Ravid’s allegation that Trump found Abbas amenable to making a permanent peace deal with Israel to be suspect. I recall distinctly that Abbas refused to even read the proposed deal he was offered (which included at least $50 million in aid to Abbas’s government), reacting with fury and invective toward Trump and those involved. How, then, can one find Ravid’s reportage to be credible? I, for one, do not.
Infidel says
Yeah, all that does make sense
Free Market Filly says
Mark Levin doesn’t give Barak Ravid any credibility either. Ravid is a leftist radical and definitely an anti-Trumper. Note in the article that the complete thought regarding Bibi is that he didn’t want to make a deal that would keep jihad by the Palestinians in existence. Could Ravid be omitting half of Trump’s thought?
Aussie Infidel says
Robert is absolutely correct that “Trump clearly doesn’t understand that Netanyahu didn’t want a deal that would aid and enable the “Palestinian” jihad”. Trump probably did more for Israel than any other President, but Israel is reliant on the US, and with the pressure from Iran likely to increase under Biden, it was imperative that he establish good relations with him. It’s not that Bibi didn’t want peace with the so-called Palestinians, he just didn’t want a de-facto two-state solution – which would be a disaster for his country.
Trump simply does not know enough about Islam to understand why it was impossible for his proposal to work. The Muslims would quickly turn Judea and Samaria into launch pads for missiles, and access sites for tunnels into Israel, like they did with Gaza. When the Muslims say, “Palestine will be free, from the river to the sea”, they mean it!
The Muslims hate the Jews with a vengeance and want every Jew in the Middle East – and the rest of the world – dead. And that hatred did not start with the formation of Israel in 1948, but 1,300 years earlier with Muhammad. Mo was a narcissist who hated the Jews because they would not believe that he was a prophet of God, or accept his new religion Islam; and he cursed them and accused them for “distorting their scriptures”, and many other misdeeds. I don’t know whether Trump has read the Islamic scriptures, but if not, he surely needs to.
Even a skilled negotiator like Trump would be behind the 8 Ball with Muslims, who have been waging jihad and practising deception against all non-Muslims for 1,400 years. Obviously from some of his remarks during his campaign, Trump understood some things about Islam, but not enough to know why it would be impossible to make such a deal – especially with the Palestinians – and why Bibi was hesitant.
What a pity Trump was not a subscriber to Jihad Watch before he became President. If he is going to run again, I would urge him to contact Robert Spencer ASAP.
gravenimage says
Trump: Netanyahu ‘never wanted peace,’ Abbas ‘wanted to make a deal more than Netanyahu’
………….
There was a lot I admired about Trump. This foolishness, not so much…