As an Israeli second-generation son of Holocaust survivors, I was thrilled at the spectacle of the honor, affection, and glory that the Jewish State received from the President of the United States.
Israel, a small country on the edge of the Middle East, is considered a world power in the areas of security, science, technological innovation, and the fight against terrorism. The shared values, identification of vital interests, and friendship between Trump and Netanyahu inspire hope that the two country's ties will see better days.
That hope was dashed under President Obama who in his Cairo speech, at the beginning of his tenure, wistfully recalled the muezzin sounds he heard as a child in Indonesia, and whose last executive decision was to provide hundreds of millions of dollars to the Palestinian Authority that funds families of murderers.
Everyone has been talking for years about peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, brought to us by headlines about the two-state solution and the settlements being an obstacle to peace. Intoxicating platitudes that never had a chance, for the reason that the Palestinians will never be willing to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and forego the right of return to Jaffa, Shefayim, Kibbutz Baram, Ramat Hasharon, and Ra'anana. A Palestinian state, most Israelis today realize, is only the first stage in the vision of a Jewish return to Europe.
President Trump, being a businessman, brings a new spirit to his office. He is not a prisoner of his predecessor's antiquated conception of the Middle East, which only led to unnecessary bloodshed. Businessmen know that only a deal containing equal consideration for both parties can be realized. Good deals are not forced. The hostile takeover is viewed in the business world as a rather poor alternative.
The openness of the Trump Era will require all parties to think creatively so that at the conclusion of negotiations, the Israelis and Palestinians will be able to live in reasonable neighborly relations and coexistence. A rigid mindset leads to a dead-end, while initiative and openness create hope. A solution to the conflict in our region also requires abundant patience.
President Obama badly wanted his legacy to include Muslim-Indian peace. His approach was marked with hurried desperation and his failure was therefore resounding. He was convinced that whatever he wanted to do, he could do. Trump's legacy is not anchored in the Middle East, but in restoring the United State's lost and trampled dignity; the prosperity and the welfare of its citizens.
As usual, the Israeli leftist media will portray depression and negativity, as if Trump demanded the settlement construction moratorium, and not they. For the most part, Israeli citizens have a good sense of "Exult and rejoice, daughter of Zion, for great days await you; Judah will exist forever and Jerusalem from generation to generation."
Courtesy Israel Hayom
Elder of Ziyon
