Donald Trump disproves the Middle East doomsday predictions - opinion
Not to say that Trump’s record is flawless, but his diplomatic successes are undeniable.
By EMILY SCHRADERUS PRESIDENT Donald Trump welcomes PA President Mahmoud Abbas in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, in 2017.(photo credit: JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS)US President Donald Trump is unquestionably a divisive figure. From the time he won the election, there was a hysterical reaction by many on the Left to the surprising election results.It’s no secret I’ve never been a Trump supporter, but there’s one thing I cannot deny, and that is that the response to every action Trump has taken when it comes to Israel and the Middle East has been an absurd overreaction, warning of the end of the world, which time after time has proven to be demonstrably false. Much to the dismay of his detractors, Trump’s efforts toward peace have proven to be remarkably successful.Early in Trump’s term, he cracked down hard on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority by cutting aid which has been used for years to pay imprisoned terrorists who have murdered Israeli and American citizens. As Palestinians were completely refusing to negotiate for peace, Trump didn’t see why the $500 million aid package should continue. When Palestinians reacted badly, Trump didn’t give in, and instead closed the PLO Mission in Washington. No matter how big a tantrum the Palestinians threw, Trump didn’t budge.When the Palestinian leaders still did not learn their lesson, Trump took action again and also cut funding to the corrupt and backward UNRWA, an international cash cow rife with corruption which keeps Palestinians in perpetual refugee status. Experts swore both moves would cripple the Palestinian economy and substantially harm Palestinians. They didn’t.Trump’s refusal to give money to corrupt international agencies didn’t stop with UNRWA. In response to the highly politicized bias of the UN Human Rights Council, he criticized its hypocrisy and bias against Israel and withdrew from the body in 2018. When UNESCO approved a resolution denying the historic Jewish connection to the Western Wall, Hebron and other holy sites, he withdrew from UNESCO as well. He also cut funding to the World Health Organization in 2020, after its debacle of abysmal failure in dealing with the coronavirus, and its capitulation to China.While nearly every American president has pledged to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, nobody did until Trump. He easily could have kept the status quo, but authorized the move, to international uproar. The Palestinians threatened endless violence and terrorism, and “experts” warned of massive waves of terrorism and a potential third intifada. In the end nothing happened except that multiple other states followed suit and pledged to move their embassies to Jerusalem as well.Trump also was a harsh critic of the Iran deal, due to its inability to address Iran’s terrorism and violence in the Middle East. New reports from the IAEA show that Iran’s enrichment level is over 10 times the amount permitted by the deal. In 2018, Trump formally withdrew from the deal, which “experts” swore would have disastrous consequences. As it turns out, Trump (and Israel) were correct about Iran thus far. Not only that, Trump focused on building alliances with the Arab world against a nuclear Iran, with states that also opposed the deal, and he fostered a budding alliance against a nuclear Iran between Israel and Sunni Arab states.In 2019, Trump was the first American president to recognize the annexed Golan Heights as Israel – a move that in fact earned him a town in Israel. “Experts” around the world swore it would incite violence and bring about conflict. In the end, nothing happened except what should: international recognition of the fact that the Golan Heights is Israeli territory.This year, the Trump administration has seen tremendous success in peacemaking in the region with the historic peace between the UAE and Israel – an unprecedented victory for all parties involved.In response, tyrannical regimes such as Iran have sworn to destroy Israel, UAE and others. The PA, too, has condemned the peace move, demonstrating its true allegiance to an anti-peace agenda.
Meanwhile, Trump continues the international diplomatic success in the region, expanding cooperation with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Israel, and last week facilitating the mutual recognition of Serbia and Kosovo. Beyond this, Trump also facilitated that Serbia will place an embassy in Jerusalem, and Kosovo will recognize Israel (also pledging to become the first Muslim-majority state to place its embassy in Jerusalem).None of this is to say that Trump’s record is flawless, but his diplomatic successes are undeniable.The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been at a standstill for decades, and with Trump’s proposed plan and necessary actions, there is finally some accountability on the part of the Palestinian leaders, who have relied on playing victim for decades instead of taking responsibility for their own nation and making peace.Trump’s actions have proven to these leaders that it’s not in their interest to continue this losing game of rejection, from the rejection of statehood in 1947, to campaigns of terrorism, to the rejection of multiple peace plans; it won’t benefit the Palestinians to continue along this path.It’s time to negotiate a genuine peace, or the Palestinians will be the party that suffers in the end – not because of, or at the hands of, Israelis, but at the hands of their own so-called leaders.The writer is the CEO of Social Lite Creative LLC.
