Trump Administration 'Fed Up' with Israel's refusal to engage in peace discussions with Palestinians

When it comes to the establishment of a Palestinian state, Trump won’t put up with Netanyahu’s dismissiveness, Israeli diplomatic source says

ed note–as we have explained here, ad nauseum over the course of the last 2 years, Trump, Inc is serious about this, not because he is a ‘nice guy’ who wants to do the ‘right thing’, but rather because it is a ‘do or die’ moment for the US who stands to lose out on the already-tenuous position she maintains in the Middle East to the Russians and Iranians.

However, please note that Netanyahu’s statement that he is not going to ‘quarrel’ with Trump is in and of itself like a rattlesnake shaking its tale. Netanyahu is going to do what any gangster does–make no noises whatsoever and make the very outward appearance of being cooperative and wait for the bomb to go off which he himself lit that will scuttle and derail the maneuvers and machinations involved in what Trump is planning.

Also note the very interesting statement concerning the manner by which Trump and his admin have the outward appearance of being ‘the most fawning’ administration in US history and the manner by which this is assumed to be for show in order for Trump to be able to maneuver with Israel in getting what he demands from them.

I am sure nonetheless that despite what is (or at least should be) a ‘no-brainer’ in this regard, that some genius (es)  will begin machine-gunning the comments section of this piece with pictures of Trump shaking hands with Netanyahu as well as stories featuring his ‘Jewish’ daughter and son-in-law.

Haaretz

U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for an agreement with the Palestinians is in its final stages of preparation. The prevailing view is that it will be submitted to the parties involved early next year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be forced to accept it, even if he’s not pleased with all its details. “Trump is about to put forward a plan, and I have no intention of quarreling with him,” he told a coalition party leader recently.

A diplomatic source who is often in the U.S. and meets with Trump’s aides related that there’s disappointment with Netanyahu in Trump’s circles. “They think we stretched the rope too far,” he said. In what way, I asked. “They want us to implement confidence-building measures in relation to the Palestinians, and we say no to every request,” the source replied.

I pressed for details. The source noted that the Americans had recently submitted a variety of requests to Israel: grant the Palestinians building rights, offer them economic and commercial breaks, remove checkpoints, and the like. Each request triggered a meeting in the Prime Minister’s Office of all the relevant parties: army, Shin Bet security service, Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Defense Ministry – and settlers.

The settlers? Do they have a seat at the table, I asked. “Of course,” he said. “They send a representative to every discussion and he objects to every request. Everything is ‘too close’ to their settlements. And their view is always accepted.”

The Americans are fed up with Israel’s rejectionist stance, the source added, and they were really riled by the freeze on the Qalqilyah plan. The plan, which was publicized last June, and agreed on between Netanyahu and Trump and his envoys, called for expansion of the Palestinian city by about 2,500 dunams (625 acres) and construction of 14,000 new residential units. The expansion would be at the expense of Area C (under full Israeli control), and spitting distance from the Trans-Israel Highway.

When Netanyahu proposed the plan in the security cabinet, he came under heavy fire from Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Shaked (Habayit Hayehudi), and from Likud ministers. You might have thought he’d handed the Western Wall to ISIS. The plan was hastily buried, and Bennett checked off another victory vis-a-vis the premier.

I asked the source if the Americans would be willing to hear from Netanyahu the eternal reply, “Yes, but …” with regard to the question of establishment of a Palestinian state. The source said they would not. “With Trump there’s no ‘but,’” he asserted.

And what if Netanyahu nonetheless responds with a qualified answer? “That would be bad,” the source said. “In that case, it would become clear that we had succeeded in quarreling even with the most fawning administration of all time. That takes a special talent, no?”

I asked MK Michael Oren (Kulanu), a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and former ambassador to Washington – someone who knows a thing or two about America – whether that was indeed the situation.

The deputy minister chose not to comment, but shared a disturbing phenomenon he’s encountering among “liberal circles” in the U.S. According to Oren, some Democratic Party supporters are currently talking about a new “axis of evil” – which consists of Saudi Arabia, Trump and Israel. Opposing them is the positive axis, the “sons of light” – who include Iran and Europe.

‘What weight do such circles have?’ I asked. They’re a depressed and depressive minority.

Oren sighed: “They’ll be back,” he said. “They’ll be back.