What does Donald Trump mean for Middle East peace?

If John Kerry was trying to defend the Obama administration's record on the Middle East with his speech then Donald Trump was already starting to build a record of his own on Twitter.

Watch Jav

The President-elect, ignoring transition niceties to lambast the current White House for its attitude to Israel, wrote: "We cannot let Israel be treated with such disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the U.S but not anymore".

He went on: "Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!"

:: US hits out at Israel on Middle East peace

Those last words might be welcomed by many Israelis but will sound very much like a warning to those who wonder just how far Trump will go in his backing for Benjamin Netanyahu's government.
Jav Teacher

Could he turn long-standing US policy on its head with active support for Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem? Settlements which are not only illegal but many regard as morally corrupt, standing in the way of a a two-state solution and ultimately peace.

Certainly Mr Trump had no hesitation denouncing a recent UN resolution demanding an end to such settlements.

The US declined to use its veto as a permanent member and so the resolution passed. It may have no real practical effect but it sent out a powerful message that Israel is at odds with the international community.

Kerry's speech was meant to build on that, isolating Israel further in the hope of reviving negotiations with the Palestinians.

What hope of that come January, with a President-elect, who is already indicating he has got Netanyahu's back?
Jav Moodyz


Follow
Benjamin Netanyahu
✔@netanyahu


President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel! @IvankaTrump@DonaldJTrumpJr https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/814114980983427073 …
10:24 PM - 28 Dec 2016

21,38521,385 Retweets
47,87247,872 likes



The Israeli leader even tweeted Trump saying: "President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear cut-support for Israel".

And then there's Trump's pick for US Ambassador to Israel who has long-backed settlements and whose views are sometimes said to be the right of Netanyahu.

David Friedman has been dismissive of the effort to pursue a two-state solution and welcomed plans to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem with the words "Israel's eternal capital". Hardly the language of a diplomat given Palestinians also claim Jerusalem as their capital.

Friedman's appointment may send a hopeful message to Israelis and the Jewish community in America, especially after the increasingly difficult relationship between Obama and Netanyahu, but what does it say to Palestinians, to Arab nations, to countries and leaders around the world who oppose Israel's settlement activities and for decades had US support for that?

The deal-maker Donald Trump openly admitted in an interview recently that he has his eye on the most elusive prize of all-an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord.

"That's the ultimate deal," he told a newspaper.

His actions and appointments in the days before he becomes President will raise questions about whether it would be a fair deal for all.