Israeli defence minister says uneasy over US-Saudi arms deal

Trump also visited Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial, and left what many noted was a brief message compared to his predecessor’s. Just a few hours after visiting the Western Wall, the background image of Trump’s personal Twitter account was changed to feature a photo of the president with his hand on the Kotel.

Dr. Yitzhak Yifat, Tzion Karasenti and Chaim Oshri joined thousands of Jews from around the world to mark Jerusalem Day. It also urges a “just settlement” of the Palestinian refugee problem. He did not weigh in Israeli settlements, the status of Jerusalem or even whether the USA would continue to insist on a two-state solution giving the Palestinians sovereign territory. The U.S. leader likely shied away from delving into further detail because of more pressing problems he faces at home and overseas, including growing allegations over his ties with Russia, North Korea’s nuclear threat and the bloody civil war in Syria.

Hunger strike solidarity protesters erected a cage with an effigy of a Palestinian prisoner in Bethlehem’s Manger Square, chanting: “Trump, listen!” It aims at completely strip Palestine of its Arabic nature. Iran and Saudi Arabia, which has a centralized Shiite version of Islam and the strict religious jurisprudence of Salafi-Wahhabi thought for its policies, respectively, have entered into a competition over the region through applying sectarian policies from which the people of the region suffer.

“The Palestinians are ready to reach for peace” and “Benjamin Netanyahu wants peace”, said Trump. “And we are keen to keep the door open to dialogue with our Israeli neighbors from all walks of life in order to boost confidence and create a genuine peace opportunity”.

Notably though, there was an absence of any reference to a two-state solution or any details on how peace could be achieved or what he personally would do to advance it. As a first step, American negotiators are trying to goad reluctant Israeli and Palestinian leaders back to peace talks that collapsed three years ago; and they might succeed, because neither side wants to say “No” to the president.

It’s important to remember that American presidents up to and including Jimmy Carter refused to speak to the PLO.

US President Donald Trump condemned the suicide bomber responsible for the Manchester arena atrocity as an “evil loser”. For normalization process to go ahead, Trump needs to reignite the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.

So, while there is that cynicism, there are also people on both sides who think that actually Trump perhaps might be the one to seal the deal. Tel Aviv will possibly use the negotiations to press ahead with its settlement building, fix its damaged face globally, and show off as a peace seeker in the eyes of global community.