My latest in PJ Media:
One of the foremost achievements of the Trump administration was its innovative and remarkably fruitful approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But Axios on Monday published remarks by Trump that suggest that he may have been more lucky than visionary and that he misunderstands the conflict as spectacularly as the foreign policy establishment that has failed to achieve a negotiated peace in seventy years of trying. To be sure, Trump is angry with Netanyahu for being the first to congratulate Joe Biden after the 2020 presidential election, but his remarks go farther than that and demonstrate a fundamental misapprehension of the reasons why the conflict has been and is so intractable.
Barak Ravid, author of Trump’s Peace: The Abraham Accords and the Reshaping of the Middle East, says that Trump blames Netanyahu for the failure of his “ultimate deal” for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. “I don’t think Bibi ever wanted to make peace,” said Trump. “I think he just tapped us along. Just tap, tap, tap, you know?”
Trump added that he was warned that a genuine and lasting peace agreement was not possible between Israel and the Palestinians: “I have been told by everybody that it’s not doable. [Philanthopist] Sheldon Adelson said it’s not doable. 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. And Sheldon was a great deal-maker. He said it’s impossible.”
Trump is singular among American politicians in noting that the hatred is greater on the part of the Palestinians, and he is correct about this. Trump may not be aware, however, that this hatred burns so brightly among Palestinians because of Islamic religious imperatives, and that is why the conflict is not susceptible to a lasting negotiated settlement: divine commands overrule manmade peace agreements. An Egyptian imam Muhammad Hussein Ya’qoub made this clear back in 2009 when he said: “If the Jews left Palestine to us, would we start loving them? Of course not. We will never love them. Absolutely not. The Jews are infidels—not because I say so, and not because they are killing Muslims, but because Allah said: ‘The Jews say that Uzair is the son of Allah, and the Christians say that Christ is the son of Allah. These are the words from their mouths. They imitate the sayings of the disbelievers before. May Allah fight them. How deluded they are.’ [Qur’an 9:30] It is Allah who said that they are infidels.”
Another Muslim cleric, Sheikh Said Al-Afani, contradicted the accepted wisdom in the West when he said: “Our hatred of them is purely on religious grounds, and not because of the pure, sacred land, which was blessed by Allah, or because of Gaza…not only because of Al-Aqsa and so on. We hate them, first and foremost, because of their enmity towards Allah, and because they slayed our prophets.”
There is more. Read the rest here.
Islamaphone says
Deal-making is how DJT rolls but he indeed needs to read the Palestinian Delusion to understand why it doesn’t work with jihadists.
Aussie Infidel says
“It is Allah who said that they [the Jews] are infidels.” (Quran 9:30).
And Allah said so because Muhammad commanded him to – a case of the tail wagging the dog!.
Muhammad hated the Jews because they would not believe he was a prophet of God, or accept his new religion Islam. Why should they? They’d had their own religion for 2,000 years before Muhammad began plagarising and revising it to suit his own purposes.
Westman says
“The Jews say that Uzair is the son of Allah….” – Quran 9:30
Really? Show the proof, “Allah”, er, Muhammad, er, 8th-9th century Quran compilers. There is no such claim in Jewish history.
raja says
Westman,
Exactly my thoughts. Where in the old testament is the son of God called Uzair?
There are references to Son and the Spirit but this seems to be a figment of imagination of allah of Koran. The old testament has always been well guarded by the Scribes. Likewise, the Church elders discarded the spurious books in the early church that was thrust as books of New Testament.
It is not that the terrorists have hijacked islam but islam itself hijacked (and plagiarized) other religions. There is perversions in every narrative of Koran.
mgoldberg says
What’s odd about the story is the idea that Bibi wouldn’t want any agreements- it was he who was rather overjoyed to have the Abraham accords announced and succeed. It was Abbas who was absolutely furious and wanted nothing whatsoever to do with any of that and who threatened the arab nations that did partake and approve the accords. I think something is askew about the story of Trump’s opinion. Bibi of course would have been reticent about the new plans for peace and Abbas, as the story goes sweet talked the new president as is always the case. But I can’t believe that Trump was as the story pictures him, a naive deal maker. The reality of the negations that took two years to accomplish is evidence that negates that picture- it was all the other presidents who were lead around by the palestinians who demanded surrender of half of Israel and Jerusalem et al, and this was the only posture they’ve ever had. And back to the other issue: Netanyahu would have had to say congratualations to Biden, or he would have been scorched by all the other nations accusing him of treachery and worse. Trump knows that……
mgoldberg says
Another peculiar side to this story. All the last two years of the Trump presidency- it was Netanyahu who had encouraging comments, who didn’t appear to want any undue praise thrown his way for the Trump negotiations, and who seemed to be positive in his demeanor and comments- Abbas was entirely the opposite that whole two years. Now we are told of a comment turning all that on its head?
Infidel says
I agree w/ you: I’ve seen criticisms of Netanyahu on him being too willing to make concessions, contrary to the tough-talking negotiator that he was reputed to be. I actually think that these 2 are not the best of buddies. Netanyahu came out against Trump when the latter proposed a muslim ban after the San Bernardino massacre, and Trump , while being very supportive of Israel, did have quite a bit of pressure put on him to make other concessions in lieu of the embassy to Jerusalem as well as the recognition of the Golan
PMK says
Look at who wanted the agreement: Palestinians. How many times has Israel sought agreements with them and been rebuffed? Why keep trying? Clinton and then Bush tried to ‘solve’ the Israel-Palestine matter without success for one reason: the Palestinians do not recognize Israel’s right to exist. Until that mindset changes, no agreement will be worth the paper it’s written on. Trump was fortunate that Netanyahu stood up to him.
The Abraham Accords are another matter. The countries that signed on are small countries in close proximity to Iran. Both sides benefitted from the agreement, which is as it should be.
gravenimage says
The best thing under Trump–and Netanyahu–is that there waas very little “deal-making” with the dishonest “Palistinians”.
Relic says
the timing of this
“The bosses here at Fox promised me they would never interfere with a guest I booked or a question I asked, and they kept that promise,”
Wellington says
I would be extra dubious about anything that a publication like Axios avers, especially when it puts any conservative in a bad light.
Axios is part of a much larger problem and that is that the Western MSM is no longer to be believed until independent confirmation (and good luck with that) is to be found.
gravenimage says
Hope you are right, Wellington.
gravenimage says
Trump: Netanyahu ‘Never Wanted Peace,’ Abbas ‘Wanted to Make a Deal More Than Netanyahu’
……………..
Well, this is just appalling. I have generally considered Trump to be a staunch supporter of Israel and to have had a good relationship with the stalwart Netanyahu, but maybe not…
And for him to say this now, while Biden is actively undermining our ally Israel, is especially concerning.
raja says
Gravenimage,
Nothing alarming because Biden’s handlers are the real powers. If Trump did something it must be reversed or challenged that seems to be the attitude and course.
gravenimage says
Raja, it doesn’t matter in this regard whether the real power is Biden or his handlers. Very little support of our staunch ally Israel from this White House.
abu taleb says
Seems like Trump doesn’t understand Islam at all.
Islamists claim that they are (supposed to be) ruler of the world based on Quran (I think). And Quran clearly tells to wipe out the infidels while the Jews and Christians are allowed to live if they submitted themselves and pay jizyah. The only thing that stops muslims from doing genocide to the non muslims is the military power.
Rafael says
I like Trump too but I was sad when he was very friendly with the Islamic dictator Erdogan. If he returns to power I hope and believe he will do something about the situation of Christians in Islamic countries, and Islamic dictatorships, like in Turkey.
OLD GUY says
Islam makes it simple for its followers if you ain’t islam you ain’t worth living. Whats really funny we that ain’t islamic haven’t figured it out yet, we still can’t believe that this so called religious group want to rule the world and are VARY willing to MURDER us to reach that goal. WAKE UP not woke up.
Janetmarie says
Let us rid the globe of the haters. Bibi knows the truth.
They’re rabid animals, who make the religion what they want it to be to accommodate their goal of world domination.
Janetmarie says
Is there a living Muslim who does not want a global caliphate?
There are a few more in the US now in addition to the squat.
Chessss says
TAQIYYA.