US President Donald Trump's Middle East policies include three important steps, which seem difficult to combine. Each of these steps includes aspects related to Turkey as well as Israel.
Given the contradiction of these American steps and plans in the Middle East, it can be said that it is necessary to review - again and with a different reading - the concepts of international relations.
First, let's start from the end, where Trump's recent concessions to Turkey are part of his criticized policy toward Syria.These concessions have been assessed as a blow to Israel's 60-year-old plans and are still considering continuing them in the future.
Second, the well-known "deal of the century", a plan to normalize relations between Israel and the Arab peoples. On the other hand, it seeks to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Indeed, the first step in this context was the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
In fact, even Israel did not expect to get all this. Until now, there was no American president who had the boldness of Trump, who suddenly and without warning announced his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. On the one hand, it delighted Israel; on the other, it angered the Arab masses who took to the streets.
| " Even Israel did not expect to receive all that Trump gave in the "deal of the century." So far, there was no American president who possessed the boldness of Trump, who suddenly and without warning announced his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. On the one hand, it delighted Israel; on the other, it angered the Arab masses who took to the streets " |
After that, the next step was not very clear, but given what has happened so far, one would wish that the Arab countries also did not accept this plan; The road to division is a real internal debate.
Third, Trump's third step on the Middle East was the extensive protection he provided to the Saudi crown prince in the murder case of Jamal Khashoggi. That protection can be summarized by Trump's own remarks about open financial exchanges with Saudi Arabia, but this was undoubtedly a fulfillment of the debt that the crown prince - coordinated by Kushner - provided in the framework of the century deal.
This American allowance from Trump in exchange for the Crown Prince's support for the deal of the century may have been criticized by the American public even by the Jewish lobbies themselves.
These three positions on Trump's foreign policy seem far from making Israel happy. Trump's recent steps on Syria, in coordination with Turkey, have blown up the previous steps at once. On the other hand, the actions of the deal of the century are not going as planned.
As for the promises made by Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel in the name of the Arabs, the Arab peoples and their exit to the streets, rejecting normalization and considering it as a high treason, reinforces the position against these promises.
In the November and December editions of the American magazine Foreign Policy, Martin Indyk, a former US ambassador to Israel and author of Henry Kissinger and the Art of the Middle East Treaty, published an article titled "Why Trump Doesn't Work on the Orient Plan" Middle? ".
In this article, Indyk provided important information on the background of the "deal of the century", which made Trump the hero of Israel and the Jewish Zionist lobby, while showing, on the other hand, how the plan is far from being realized on the ground. As Indyk puts it in this article, the plan is based on an agreement between Kushner (Trump's son-in-law) and Mohammed bin Salman (Saudi crown prince).
As Ibn Salman makes promises to support this plan to the end, it turns out - over time that the power of the Saudi crown prince is not enough. Ibn Salman made promises to Kushner that the kingdom would remain silent over Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and that the Arab streets remain idle for up to three months from the date of the announcement.
| " Ultimately, these three positions presented here in this article of Trump's policies seem far from making Israel happy. Trump's recent steps on Syria, in coordination with Turkey, have blown up the previous steps at once. On the other hand, the actions of the deal of the century are not going as planned " |
At the same time, he pledged in 2017 to persuade Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to sit at the negotiating table under the conditions Trump wants, in return for a financial bribe of $ 10 billion, but all this was in vain after the Abbas refused to accept this offer.
However, this bribery offered by the Crown Prince, believing that it would be effective in convincing the Palestinian people and the people of the Middle East instead of imposing the fait accompli, failed. The Palestinian.
Now it is putting the United States in an awkward position to rely on bin Salman to manage its plans in the Middle East. His bribery is out of reach for the key to the Jerusalem Gate, not only in the eyes of the Palestinians, but also in the eyes of Jordan's King Abdullah II. Threats to cut off US aid did not succeed in getting the Jordanian king to back down from his rejection of the "deal of the century."
There is even another account that the Saudi crown prince had in mind, which made him feel misled by Trump, especially when his own father - King Salman bin Abdul Aziz - strongly rejected the plan. According to former US Ambassador Indyk, this was not something to be expected. No matter how good relations are between Saudi Arabia and the United States, it seems difficult for any Saudi king to suddenly abandon Jerusalem and the Palestinian people.
In what way will the Middle East political map of the United States appear through all these political lines? What kind of recommendations did a superpower like the United States rely on to fall into a trap in which it would fall to such a low level of foreign policy?