Deal of the Century

An acquaintance of mine has a blog that people actually read. Although I think he makes very good points ( many of which I don't agree with) most of the time, I disagreed with him on his latest concerning the new proposed peace deal. I sent him a lengthy comment, which I thought was blog worthy so here it is ( his post can be found here https://njjewishnews.timesofisrael.com/the-no-deal-deal/)

I will tell you how  people see it here.

Everyone agrees that the Palestinians will not accept this. I think this was understood by everyone from the get go.

So what is the point? Well firstly it is a very big deal that the gulf states, Morocco and Egypt are calling on the Palestinians to look at the deal. It is a big deal that many European countries are saying it deserves a look.

You are right to think that the Gulf States won't abandon the Palestinian cause , but the message is clear that they no longer will be supported indefinitely as they reject deal after deal. They are even starting to give Israel good press which I assume is to prepare their populations for the day they normalize relations.

When Rabin and then Barak offered 98% of the west bank and Gaza, a symbolic gesture for the right of return, and part of Jerusalem, they rejected it and started an intifada.

That was the best it was ever going to get for them. The majority of Israelis understand, based on these rejections, that nothing will satisfy them other than us leaving altogether and we are not going anywhere.

What this plan says to them is that they let that deal go and now it is no longer on the table. The reality has changed in the last twenty years and you need to move on and think about the good of your people. Since we know the leadership doesn't care about the latter, the first message is very important. There will be a lot of resistance , and perhaps even a war, but I think they will start to understand that the longer they hold out for our destruction the less they will get. I think Bret Stephen's op-ed in the NYtimes the other day makes this point much better than I can.

The unbridled hatred for anything Trump does, means, that even when he gets some things right, it immediately gets rejected. Every democratic candidate rejected this proposal out of hand. Did they read it? What is their solution? Israel offering what they already have in the past ,  and that has already  been rejected? Acceptance of a full right of return? For Jews to forgo their holiest sites?

Perhaps, for its own good, President Sanders will withhold aid and cooperation with Israel until they give in to all of the Palestinians demands.

That would work.

This plan at least is looking at the issue from reality, which is more than I can say about any other plan submitted so far. Besides the very powerful message it has sent, and believe me , has been received.

It at least deserves a look.

Lastly, I want to put my very anti-Trump friends at ease by saying that I was not defending Trump in this post. I am defending Jared Kushner.

I hear he is a good guy.

Shabbat Shalom