Trump's foreign policy message: More deals are possible – analysis

The relationship between the countries was considered an open secret, but the White House invested time and effort to make it public.

By OMRI NAHMIAS
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Melech Friedman and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner applaud after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., August 13, 2020 (photo credit: REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE)
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Melech Friedman and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner applaud after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., August 13, 2020
(photo credit: REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE)
WASHINGTON – When US President Donald Trump ran for office in 2016, he vowed to try and mediate a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. “It is probably the toughest agreement of any kind to make,” he said during an MSNBC town hall.
“A lot of people say an agreement can’t be made, which is OK, sometimes agreements can’t be made,” he said. Four years later, peace with the Palestinians doesn’t seem closer, but Trump could be proud of a significant foreign policy achievement: normalizing the relations between Israel and the UAE.
The relationship between the countries was considered an open secret, but the White House invested time and effort to make it public. Months of delicate behind-the-scenes diplomacy spearheaded by Jared Kushner and Avi Berkowitz came to fruition with the announcement of normalization.
This achievement also arrives at a great time for Trump – 82 days before the presidential election. During a press briefing at the Oval Office, the president also said that in the upcoming weeks, leaders from both parties would arrive at the White House for a signing ceremony, which would be considered as a diplomatic victory image.
One message that Trump wanted to convey in his remarks is his commitment to keep the US out of wars. “I remember when I was elected, they said the war will start with somebody within days and I’ve kept us out of war,” he noted in his remarks at the Oval Office.
“I think you’ll be seeing some very exciting things, including, ultimately with the Palestinians,” the president said. “I think that’s going to be happening at some point because it makes a lot of sense for them to let it happen.”
One major deal that Trump wanted to achieve is with Iran, a deal that, according to Trump and Pompeo’s 12 point document, should include other elements that weren’t included in the 2015 agreement such as the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missiles program. “If I win the election, I will have a deal made with Iran within 30 days they’ll make it very fast,” he said, and added that the Iranians are “dying to make a deal,” but would rather negotiate with Joe Biden. “We’ll be having a deal made very quickly,” he noted.
His image as a dealmaker suffered a blow after the failed attempts to reach an agreement between the US and North Korea to denuclearize the Korean peninsula. Now, his second message on foreign policy is that this was just the beginning, and other deals could be made down the road.