On Wednesday, President Trump met with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas at the White House for the first time and the instant chemistry between the two leaders was unmistakable. Immediately, the focus became the peace prospect and discussions on the possibility of a two-state deal between the Israelis and Palestinians.
President Trump expressed optimism and confidence that he can help the warring parties negotiate a peace agreement that has eluded many of his predecessors. He however warned that “there can be no lasting peace unless the Palestinian leaders speak in a unified voice.”
By “a unified voice” Trump is alluding to the split between the governing Palestinian Authority which controls the West Bank and Hamas the militant group controlling the Gaza strip. While acknowledging the complexity of the task, the President expressed optimism by saying, “we will get it done.”
During the meeting, President Trump also cast himself in a different role, one far more different that the one assumed by previous Presidents and administrations – a mediator and facilitator. In other words, Trump who does not believe in American imposition of an agreement or solution also said the following,
“I’m committed to working with Israel and the Palestinians to reach an agreement, but any agreement cannot be imposed by the United States or any other nation.
President Trump and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas at the White Office for their first meeting. Credit: AFP/GETTY
“The Palestinians and Israelis must work together to reach an agreement that allows both peoples to live, worship and thrive and prosper in peace. And I will do whatever is necessary to facilitate the agreement, to mediate, to arbitrate anything they’d like to do, but I would be a mediator or an arbitrator or a facilitator.”
In response, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas called for a two-state solution while indicating his approval of President Trump’s business background saying he respected his “great negotiating ability.”
“Our strategic option, our strategic choice, is to bring about peace based on the vision of the two-state, a Palestinian state, with its capital in East Jerusalem, that lives in peace and stability with the state of Israel, based on the borders of 1967,” said Abbas.
President Trump who is not a believer of the two-state solution expressed his position when he met with Israeli PM by stating he “could live with” a one or two-state solution, as long as it is the outcome that “both parties wanted.”
A Different President A Different Approach
Unlike Obama, President Trump does not believe in dictates or nuances but strengthening personal bonds and dialogue. Credit: Avi Ohayon/GPO/Flash90
Many Presidents in the past including Obama all tried and failed to forge a Middle East Peace Agreement between the Palestinians and Israelis. The likelihood that Trump could succeed where others have failed is possible. If he does, it will be because he is a different person with an equally different approach. He believes in creating a bond and getting to know the person you are dealing with.
President Trump’s diplomatic approach is simple. He believes in creating bonds and getting to know the people he intends dealing with. Unlike Obama who would dictate a position and chastise those who didn’t fall in line, Trump believes in dialogue and compromise, not nuances or dictates. He had indicated similar sentiments towards Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un and now with Palestinian leader Abbas.
Trump who has a close bond with Prime Minister Netanyahu has indicated he wants to secure a Middle East Peace Deal. Talking to Reuters last week that he said he wants “to see peace with Israel and the Palestinians” adding“There is no reason there’s no peace between Israel and the Palestinians – none whatsoever.”
Copyright © 2017 Manyika Review. All Rights Reserved.
