Trump's Unconventional Mideast Policy Wins — Again
As published in Newsmax
President Trump’s unconventional Mideast policy is paying off with another historic breakthrough in a contentious part of the globe.
Brokered by the Trump administration, the Kingdom of Bahrain has just agreed to a peace deal with the Jewish State of Israel. Similar to the recent peace accord between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), this agreement will allow former enemies to establish cultural, political, security and technological contacts.
A warm peace. Expect more such "normalization deals" in the future.
The UAE and Bahrain agreements are outward manifestations of successful American diplomacy pursued consistently and with a deft hand.
They confirm an important reality: The Palestinians no longer have a veto over peace in the Mideast. The Arab League turned down the Palestinian demand that it condemn the UAE for its Israeli accord — a big blow to those who for decades dictated the League’s position on the Palestinian conflict with Israel.
The myth that peace will only be achieved by settling the Palestinian war against the Jews--- long embraced by foreign policy elites — has now been debunked, leaving this veritable cornerstone of Democratic Party policy in shambles.
According to Israeli Arab journalist Khaled Abu Toameh, many Gulf citizens describe the Palestinian leaders as corrupt "merchants of the Palestinian issue," embezzling huge personal fortunes from funds designated by Western nations for the Palestinian people.
Saudi journalist Shuja Al-Hothli recently tweeted, "The enemy of the Palestinian cause is not Israel, but the [Palestinian] comrades (the leadership) who don't want the Palestinian issue to be resolved. . . . Before you [Palestinian leaders] criticize others, you need to take a look at yourselves and . . . the condition of your people, whom you have destroyed."
As part of its efforts to end "endless wars," the Trump administration has withdrawn troops from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, with more to come, signaling that the states in the region must assume the leadership role in protecting their own security.
President Trump has demonstrated in word and deed his unequivocal support for our ally Israel: Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s rightful capital, acknowledgment of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and elimination of funding for the Palestinian pay-for-slay terror program.
His "Deal of the Century," affirming Israel’s immediate sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria (the disputed territories), made clear that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will be solved with or without the Palestinians.
The delay in sovereignty implementation is a strategic move to facilitate current peace efforts with Israel’s Arab neighbors.
Trump’s decisive leadership has nullified Palestinian intransigence and bolstered Israel’s role as a source of regional economic and technical know-how and a critically important American ally against Iranian aggression.
He has brought countries in the region together around shared opportunities.
The feckless Obama Iran nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), along with billions of dollars given to the terror state, empowered the mullahs to become a nuclear state and anointed them hegemon of the Mideast.
Trump has rejected that misbegotten deal and weakened Iranian leadership by imposing severe, painful economic sanctions, soon to increase when the U.S. "snaps back" penalties suspended by the U.N.
Trump’s goal is to prevent Iran from ever achieving nuclear capability.
The Arab states in the region know America’s stance on Iran and Israel and recognize the importance of forging a united front against the mullahs.
The new and future Gulf state peace deals will provide Saudi Arabia cover for its own accord with Israel. The Saudis have quietly conducted military cooperation with the Israelis and now have opened their airspace to all Israeli flights to the UAE, Bahrain and eastward, something not ever previously allowed to the 72-year-old Jewish nation.
The Saudis move cautiously, mindful of their domestic political vulnerability.
The Democratic Party, in its 2020 platform, is doubling down on 70-plus years of failed Middle East policy. It calls for America returning to the disastrous Iran deal.
It re-establishes funding for the Palestinians which would result in the financing of Palestinian terror against Israeli civilians. It declares that the ultimate resolution of Jerusalem’s status must await a "final status negotiation" with the Palestinians. It supports the "two-state solution" approach that arm-twists Israel into giving up its rights and security to entice the Palestinians to make a deal.
That approach has been consigned to the dustbin of history. The Democrats do not recognize that Trump’s Mideast has left them behind.
The leaders of Israel and Bahrain praised President Trump’s "dedication to peace in the region, his focus on shared challenges, and the pragmatic and unique approach he has taken to bringing their nations together."
Even Joe Biden gave the president a backhanded compliment, "I think Trump is going to accidentally do something positive here."
Despite opposition by the Democrats and most foreign policy "experts" in the U.S. and Europe, the Trump administration has crafted a new foreign policy for the Mideast predicated on ending endless wars, keeping American soldiers out of harms way and building a strong, focused regional coalition to effectively confront Iran, its major strategic threat.
His opponents claim that President Trump will make war. Instead, he’s making peace. "One can’t believe impossible things," laughed Alice. "I daresay you haven’t had much practice," said the Queen. "Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." (From: "Alice in Wonderland," Lewis Carroll -1865).
