A Politician’s Desperate Effort

Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu holds the record for the longest tenure as Israel’s Prime Minister. A right-wing nationalist, with more polish and finesse than his American counterpart, Netanyahu has shepherded Israel into extreme positions, contradicting UN agreements and long-standing policies of most the world (including, until Donald Trump, the United States), which support a two-state solution to the Palestinian demand for autonomy and abhor the incursion of Jewish settlements into what was always anticipated to be Palestinian territory on the West Bank, were such a partition ever to occur.

The political alliance between Donald Trump and Netanyahu (including the latter’s right-wing coalition led by his Likud Party) has devolved into “whatever Bibi wants is what America wants.” 

There is this assumption, dramatically incorrect, that Netanyahu speaks for all Israelis. Each leader has waded into the pre-election politics of the other voicing unwavering support… as if Likud and the GOP were one and the same. The long-term negative reality for this unnecessary mutual election connection is more particularly described in my September 3^rd, Is Donald Trump Israel’s Worst Nightmare? blog.

But even with Donald Trump’s campaign support, Netanyahu only squeaked by in the April 9^th parliamentary election, not generating enough support to generate a ruling coalition, such that on May 29^th, the Knesset voted that another election (September 17^th) would be necessary.

Netanyahu’s April campaign effort was laced with his “accomplishments” in drawing U.S. support for this nationalist agenda. The United States had moved its embassy to the controversial city of Jerusalem, later supporting Netanyahu’s announcement that the Golan Heights were now and forever Israeli territory. The US President cut aid to the Palestinians as well. Trump seemed to back Bibi’s notion that the two-state solution was dead, and that a new “solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian – some bizarre and yet undisclosed notion (Vision of Peace) of raising global financing to bribe Palestinians to give up their desire for self-rule concocted by Trump son-in-law Jared “my father had to buy my way into Harvard” Kushner – would be a Trump administration masterpiece. That Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s envoy for international negotiations who apparently worked with Kushner on that “plan,” just resigned might tell you how even he feels about that inane effort. Not a master-stroke, a master-joke.

Mirroring Donald Trump’s proclivity to double down no matter what, as Netanyahu struggles in the polls and faces a near-term indictment for corruption, the Israeli PM told the world that if he is reelected, he will take one-third of the West Bank – the Jordan Valley and northern Dead Sea – under permanent Israeli sovereignty, further dooming Palestinians’ hope for their own nation.

“Addressing Israelis in his fourth dramatically advertised statement in 24 hours, Netanyahu implied that President Trump’s peace plan, which has been anticipated for two years, will afford Israel the ‘historic opportunity’ to annex parts of the occupied West Bank considered central to Israeli security.

“But Netanyahu stopped short of claiming to have Trump’s approval for any dramatic move… ‘Out of respect for President Trump and out of great faith in our friendship, I will wait for the release of the president’s peace plan before extending sovereignty,’ Netanyahu said. ‘To the extent possible, I want to extend sovereignty to these communities and other areas in maximum coordination with the United States.’… The Trump administration has not set any date for the release of the long-awaited plan, which has been coordinated by Jared Kushner, the president’s senior advisor and son-in-law.

“If reelected in the Sept. 17 vote, Netanyahu would have to seek approval of the Knesset — Israel’s parliament — to annex the territory. He would also have to overcome potential significant legal challenges both within Israel and in the international community, which considers Israel’s 52-year occupation of the West Bank illegal…

“The United States has long opposed Israeli settlement in the West Bank, but both Kushner and Ambassador David Friedman have openly supported ongoing Jewish settlement in the disputed area… Friedman and Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s outgoing envoy for international negotiations, have said that the term ‘occupation’ may not apply in the West Bank.

“On Monday [9/9], a senior [US] administration official quoted by Israel’s Kan Television channel said, ‘There is no change in the United States’ policy at this time. We will release our Vision for Peace after the Israeli election and work to determine the best path forward.’” Los Angeles Times, September 11^th. Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, called such a threatened annexation a “war crime” and that Netanyahu and any government that supported that annexation a “war criminal.”

Reaction to Netanyahu’s pledge was swift and harsh, particularly within most of rest of the Middle East: “Saudi Arabia on Wednesday [9/11] denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s preelection vow to annex parts of the West Bank as a ‘very dangerous escalation,’ adding to a chorus of international condemnations and injecting the issue of Palestinian statehood into an election campaign that had all but ignored it.

“The strongly worded statement from the Saudi royal court, which runs the affairs of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, marked a significant rebuke from a regional power that had grown closer to Israel in recent years over shared concerns about Iran’s growing belligerence…

 “‘The Arab and Islamic worlds’ preoccupation with many local and regional crises will not affect the status of the Palestinian cause, the royal court said in a statement. ‘Israel’s attempts to impose a fait accompli policy will not obliterate the inalienable and protected rights of the Palestinian people.’

“Turkey’s Foreign Ministry joined in denouncing Netanyahu, calling his statement ‘a new manifestation of Israel’s decades-long occupation and unlawful practices.’ Ankara called on the international community ‘not to remain silent.’

“The 57-member Organization for Islamic Cooperation also condemned Netanyahu’s proposal, saying it would convene to ‘take urgent political and legal measures to address this aggressive Israeli position’… The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council likewise condemned Netanyahu’s announcement. Some members of the group, which consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, had been edging closer to forming open ties with Israel in recent years — something Netanyahu had touted as one of his major diplomatic achievements.

“Netanyahu said it was important to act now as President Trump prepares to unveil his Mideast peace plan after the Sept. 17 elections in Israel… Ayman Odeh, leader of the Joint List of Arab parties in Israel’s parliament, responded to Netanyahu’s proposal by saying that ‘anything that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state means apartheid.’” LA Times, September 12^th.

Most of the international community believes that anything Israel does is fully supported by the United States, and hence the US always shares the blame. Trump’s policies have not only further destabilized a volatile situation but have decimated whatever remaining influence we may have had in that part of the world. The United States has joined Israel as a globally unpopular bully-pariah. 

              I’m Peter Dekom, and the death and destruction that will flow from our support of such Israeli nationalism, which is NOT uniformly supported by all Israelis, will be long-standing and incalculable.