Trump Welcomes Netanyahu

by Alan M. Dershowitz
February 13, 2017 at 12:00 pm

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9941/trump-welcomes-netanyahu

Israel's longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will soon be welcomed to the White House by newly elected President Donald Trump. What can we expect from this initial meeting between two strong-willed national leaders?

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is shown meeting on September 25, 2016 with then U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, in New York. (Image source: Kobi Gideon/Israel Government Press Office)

I know them both -- Netanyahu better than Trump -- and I believe they will get along well. They are both no-nonsense pragmatists who understand the relationship between economic development and political progress. We all know of Trump's business background and focus on jobs and trade. Less well-known is Netanyahu's business background. Like Trump, Netanyahu went to business school and began his career as a businessman, working for Boston Consulting Group. When he entered politics, he helped transform Israel from an agrarian-based economy into "start-up nation," which has become a technological superpower with a strong economy. He is the Alexander Hamilton of Israel, to David Ben Gurion's Jefferson. Trump has to admire that.

Trump will also admire Netanyahu's strong nationalism and love of country. He has made Israel great, militarily, technologically and economically. He may soon become Israel's longest serving Prime Minister, surpassing the legendary Ben Gurion.

Each leader would like to be the one who succeeds in bringing a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. So many others -- people of good will and considerable effort -- have been unable to achieve this goal. There is no certainty that Trump and Netanyahu can succeed when so many others have come close but have never been able to close the deal. Both are respected for their deal-making capabilities -- Trump in business, Netanyahu in domestic politics.

But there are considerable barriers to achieving a peaceful resolution. Netanyahu and his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, each have domestic constituencies that would oppose the compromise necessary to achieve a two-state solution. Some of Netanyahu's right-wing coalition partners oppose a two-state solution in which Israel would turn over most of the West Bank to establish a Palestinian state. And many West Bank Palestinians -- not to mention Hamas in Gaza -- oppose recognizing the legitimacy of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. They also demand the "return" of millions of Palestinian refugees to Israel, despite the reality that there are probably only a hundred thousand or so actual refugees who themselves left Israel in 1948-1949, many voluntarily.

It must be remembered that Israel has twice in recent times offered the Palestinians a state on 95 percent of the West Bank. In 2000-2001, then Prime Minister Ehud Barak and then President Bill Clinton made a generous offer. Yasser Arafat, who was being advised by Jimmy Carter, rejected it and started a violent intifada, in which more than 4000 people were killed. Then in 2008, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made an even more generous offer, to which Mahmoud Abbas did not respond. And in 2005, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon unilaterally ended the military occupation and settlements in the Gaza Strip, only to be greeted with thousands of rocket attacks and terror tunnels from Hamas.

Much has changed since these Israeli offers and actions. The current Israeli government is not likely to offer more than what was rejected by the Palestinians. So the pressure must now be placed on the Palestinian leadership to make good faith counter-offers. That pressure can only come from the United States. This is so because the rest of the international community -- the United Nations, the European Union, the courts in The Hague, the BDS movement -- all disincentivize the Palestinians from making compromises, by falsely telling them they can get a state without negotiating with Israel.

President Trump must make it crystal clear that unless the Palestinians negotiate a reasonable solution with Israel, they will never have a state. President Obama did not send that message with clarity, especially when he ordered his United Nations Representative to allow a one-sided anti-Israel resolution to be passed by the Security Council.

President Trump must reassure Prime Minister Netanyahu that he will apply pressure -- perhaps through our Sunni allies -- on the Palestinian Authority, and not only on Israel, as the Obama Administration did. History shows that American administrations that really have Israel's back -- not to stab, but to support -- are more likely to persuade Israel to offer compromises.

So, I hope that Benjamin Netanyahu will emerge from the White House meeting with the confidence in American support to stand up to those in his cabinet who oppose the two-state solution and who want to expand settlement activity. And I hope the Palestinian leadership will understand that they have no option other than to accept the Netanyahu offer to negotiate anywhere, anytime, and with no preconditions. Perhaps then we will finally see a reasonable resolution to the age-old conflict.

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Comment on this item

22 Reader Comments

Scorpio • Feb 18, 2017 at 10:21

Everything stated in the article confirms the reality of the current situation, and I particularly like Dershowitz's moniker of Netanyahu as Alexander Hamilton of Israel. As much as I admire Dershowitz's erudition, I cannot for the love of me understand his support of Obama and his ruinous policies, including those hate-felt attitudes towards Israel.

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Julio Torres Montalvo • Feb 16, 2017 at 15:37

Gentlemen: For me as long as America (and I say this as a Christian) becomes a strong, strong, ally to God's People, Israel and blesses her too, I know and have faith in God that His promises to bless a nation like the U.S. will be evident since President Harry S. Truman. And I hope that God will bless the President and open his eyes just like God did to King Nebuchadnezzer II and King Cyrus of Persia.

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amen • Feb 14, 2017 at 14:03

Dershowitz's article is excellent, but he seems to forget that the Palestinians, in addition to refusing to recognize Israel as a Jewish State (which Dershowitz acknowledges), have also repeatedly declared their absolute unwillingness to allow any Jews to live in any West Bank state that is created by and for the Palestinians. This is another, and very important, Palestinian demand that must be abandoned.

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Bruce Kugler • Feb 14, 2017 at 00:07

Hold on, Alan, I have always appreciated your ideas and how you think, as well as questioning some things from time to time over the years. Your efforts are noble doing some blocking for Netanyahu and Trump, but Trump is no "pragmatist," and you know he isn't. He needs to be heavily influenced to think pragmatically. Imposing will is a type of strength, and both have a deep need to do this. And as for the Net., ahhhh, come on, now Alan, witness, council, but trying to sell these men are pragmatists and their goals are of the same cloth ? Pa lease.
Sid Insky

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Isaac Barr • Feb 13, 2017 at 22:39

For 65 years the conflict of Palestinians with Israel was subject for endless negotiations, including president Clinton 2000 summit, all of which failed being under the mantra of "Two state solution". As Albert Einstein said: "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". Three salient questions must be answered: 1. Will Palestinians accept a Jewish state in the Holy Land? (answer: NO). 2. Will Palestinian stop terror attacks against Israel civilians? (answer: NO). 3. Will Muslims exclude Jewish genocidal dictum from the Quran? (Never). The reality is that two state solution is not achievable given the conflict between the Palestinians and Israel is not local-national but global and Islamic. Netanyahu, TRUMP, Friedman and Kushner understand the problem well and may consider different options.

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Johnty Dee • Feb 13, 2017 at 20:56

The words 'reasonable' and 'Arab' or 'Islam' or 'Muslim' cannot be used in the same sentence. Therefore 'never' is the only outcome that is possible. The Jordanian squatters in Judea/Samaria and the Egyptians in Gaza must get out and back from whence they came. Another failed Arab Jihadi state is not required unless to satisfy the world's lust for anti-Semitism led by the Europeans. Judea and Samaria are sovereign Israeli territory under International Law. The tyranny of the UN however is when 'laws' are only applied to Israel.

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Ron Thompson • Feb 13, 2017 at 20:27

I've been increasingly mystified by those who hold onto the delusion of a 'two-states solution'. This is a product either of Wishful Thinking or the even more dangerous habit of Projection, unwittingly attributing to others one's own beliefs and motivations.
From 1945 to 1955, Germany and Japan lost their right of self-determination after waging unprovoked war on their neighbors, and did not get that fundamental right back until they had satisfied their former enemies that they had had a collective change of mind and heart (which indeed proved true over the next 70-plus years).
If the same thinking were applied to the Palestinians, then they lost their right to self-determination years ago, at least since the second intifada. Not recognizing that has done nothing but incentivize them to violence and their supporters to vilification of Israel.
I've long been surprised Professor Dershowitz, usually a hardheaded analyst, does not see this.
I also do not share his view that Trump is anywhere near as clear or reliable a leader as Netanyahu, but one hopes for the best when they meet.

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Shlomo • Feb 13, 2017 at 19:01

The two-state option is a dead letter. As other readers have commented and Mr. Dershowitz refuses to recognize, this is a religious conflict as much as a national conflict. Islamic scripture is anti-semitic and Muslims cannot abide dhimmi, especially Jewish, national sovereignty, especially in a formerly Muslim-conquered land. Mahmud Abbas, even if he wanted to, cannot make a peace treaty with Israel. The whole Muslim world today has a veto over that. There are 22 members of the Arab League and 57 members of the OIC, Organization of Islamic Cooperation. There is only one Jewish state the size of New Jersey. The moral claims of Jews and Arabs/Muslim are not equal. We need to explore alternatives to the two-state solution that put Israeli security first and Palestinian Arab autonomy second.

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Ted • Feb 13, 2017 at 18:36

Why does no one talk about the EAST BANK. Wasn't that too given to the Palestines. No wait maybe it was stolen from them by an Arab - but heck boys will be boys and why should they complain??

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Frances Weingarten • Feb 13, 2017 at 17:35

There is no possibility of a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, mainly because the Palestinians do not now and never did want such a concept. The Palestinians are in no way capable of running a state but their actual desire is to remove all Jews from Israel and take the country as their state. The ongoing persistence on the part of the government, intellectuals, and all those familiar with the situation has become ludicrous. The Palestinians (fortunately!) rejected all attempts on the part of Israel to create such a state and yet the continuing refrain still continues. The lack of a Palestinian state after so many attempts by Israel to assist them in creating it has nothing to do with some right-wingers not wanting it and everything to do with the Palestinians rejecting the concept. Israel made serious errors in creating the Oslo accords, in leaving Gaza and in making the offer to create a Palestinian state. This encouraged them to believe that they had nothing to lose in rejecting all efforts. Israel's Prime Minister must now make it clear that the only way there can ever be a Palestinian state is when the Palestinians accept Israel as the Jewish state, stop teaching their children to hate and seek to kill all Jews and remove all terrorists from their areas. Some years in the future, when it is clear that the Palestinians are friendly neighbors who work positively with Israel can such discussions begin. Until such a time, it would be helpful to bring clarity to the issue by expressing that there will be no Palestinian state until the above has taken place. All those who continue to advocate this concept must stop. What must now be said by all, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, Alan Dershowitz and all their ilk, is that there is no state in the offing at present.

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Adler Pfingsten • Feb 13, 2017 at 16:43

Americans will soon be forced to confront a reality none in their comfortable complacency ever thought would happen; a confrontation of biblical proportions.

Islam is an ideology posing as a religion in alliance with Marxianity, a false religion posing as an ideology; one intent on the destruction of Judaism and the other the Christianity. Ezekiel's Gog and Magog before your very eyes and yet you do not see.

"Society [has] a right to erase from the roll of its members anyone who rendered his own existence inconsistent with theirs; to withdraw from him the protection of their laws, and to remove him from among them by exile, or even by death if necessary." Thomas Jefferson to L. H. Girardin, 1815 ME 14:277 CSC

The new school of intellectual hubris has failed and before 2026 mankind will be returned to the old school Einstein posited was just a "...a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish."

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Eric Jan Kamp • Feb 13, 2017 at 16:43

Si vis pacem, para bellum. The Romans knew that in order to achieve peace, you need to be well equipped to wage war, and possibly so that you have good chances to win. I don't see any other alternative in case of Israeli-Paalestinian conflict. You can't have Peace, Democracy and Islam at the same time. If you put Democracy and Islam together, Peace will certainly disappear. Islamic peace is not democratic, so you have to reduce Islam if you want to obtain some Peace and Democracy in Samaria, Judea and Gaza.

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Badger • Feb 13, 2017 at 15:56

Israel has been the only party in nearly 70 years to make compromises for peace. Surely they have offered more than enough since every time they have been met with renewed hostility and murderous violence? What more can Israel give that won't signal weakness to the terrorists and worst of all, weaken Israel itself? Time for the Arabs to make an offer or accept they will never have their own state. Perhaps that is the best, and probably only, solution.

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Michael Fox • Feb 13, 2017 at 15:52

The two state solution is all but history. There never was much reality attached to the concept and President Obama just before leaving office provided the final nail in the coffin. There is little doubt Obama played a large part in the UN's latest attack on Israel as he became the first President in US history to not cast a veto on the ongoing UN's attempt to to undermine and delegitimize the Jewish state of Israel.

Obama's spiteful act in attempting to influence Israel's elections backfired on him. The polls showed PM Natanyahu was about to lose the election but thanks to Obama's medaling, the Israeli voters rejected a foreign government's attempt to influence their election. Once again, Israelis reelected PM Netanyahu.

Karma works in strange ways. It shows no regard for a persons title or wealth. There is a price to be paid for acts of spite and President Obama's malice will not go unnoticed.

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Harry Czeiger • Feb 13, 2017 at 15:36

Abbas has to go. He has to take with him all Fatah's military wing as well as the left over PLO trash and disappear over the horizon. These with voices of reason and acceptance of Israels can stay, make peace and learn to live in peace and harmony. Better yet, Israel should encourage Jordan to take back the territory (except Jerusalem). Jerusalem will become the capital of Israel with a religious enclave based on the Vatican City formulae.
This is just for starters, but there is more...

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David Ashton • Feb 13, 2017 at 15:04

1. The offer of 90% of the West Bank as a permanent Palestinian State now seems a non-starter.
2. Life would be better all-round if Jews in the Diaspora were more accepting of the "nationalism and love of country" also of Gentiles in Europe, from Belfast to Budapest, and wound down rather than up the continuous propaganda against our new generation as inheritors of Holocaust Guilt, as witness the provocative plan for a Jewish "Longest Hatred" Temple confronting the Houses of Parliament in London.

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William III • Feb 13, 2017 at 14:27

As long as the Koran exists there will be no peace in the ME.

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Matt

William III • Feb 13, 2017 at 19:53

The two state solution is & always has been a utopian pipe dream. There is no 'middle ground' position that Fatah or Hamas will consider, they will not recognize Israel as a Jewish state & they will never agree to Jerusalem being Israels capital. Further, dividing Jerusalem is just about the dumbest idea proposed as a part of the solution. There nothing to negotiate, it has been tried repeatedly, it had failed every time.
The simple solution is for Israel to stop worrying about what everyone else wants & officially annex Judea & Samaria & apply Israeli law, that is the only viable solution.

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Mladen Andrijasevic • Feb 13, 2017 at 14:17

"But there are considerable barriers to achieving a peaceful resolution"
Robert Spencer explains why there cannot be a peaceful resolution: Koranic Verse 2:191 reads "Kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out
from where they drove you out" "Drive them out from where they drove you out" means that no land that has ever belonged to Muslims or been ruled by Muslims can ever legitimately in the eyes of Islam be ruled by non Muslims."
http://madisdead.blogspot.co.il/2017/02/the-shortest-explanation-on-chances-of.html

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Albert Reingewirtz • Feb 13, 2017 at 12:50

"The long march through the UN has produced many benefits for the PLO. It has created a people where there was none; an issue where there was none; a claim where there was none. Now the PLO is seeking to create a state where there already is one." Jeanne Kirkpatrick
Beside, what they really want is no state of Israel and all the Jews thrown into the sea. The Jewish state is a bone stuck on the throat of Muslims.

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Ora

Albert Reingewirtz • Feb 13, 2017 at 14:49

I always find Mr. Dershowitz's comments on this site and others very much to the point. When he writes that he hopes Netanyahu will be able to "stand up to those in his cabinet who oppose the two-state solution and who want to expand settlement activity," it is possible but politics being what it is, it will be very difficult. However, when Dershowitz writes that he hopes that "the Palestinian leadership will understand that they have no option other than to accept the Netanyahu offer to negotiate anywhere, anytime, and with no preconditions," I fear that is a vain hope. As he, himself writes, the international community has disincentivized the Palestinians from making any compromises. If they refused to compromise on the offers made by Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert, why on earth would they compromise now, with the whole world on their side?

As commenter Albert Reingewirtz wrote before me, they are more interested in getting rid of Israel and all the Jews than in having a state of their own.

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Scorpio

Ora • Feb 14, 2017 at 12:37

Dear Dershowitz,

The two-state solution is a classic oxymoron; it does not involve two-states and it certainly isn't a solution. The concept was presumably thought up to give some legitimacy to the claims of the Palestinians and has not the remotest possibility of success and this should be publicly acknowledged by all concerned for the sham that it is.

The Israelis should continue building settlements, indeed these should be speeded-up. At least this would constitute positive use of the land by civilised people who have a genuine history dating back millennia and demonstrate that the world has moved on. Their opponents are, regrettably, the new kids on the block whose history is dubious to say the least and if given their head would condemn humanity to the diktats of plagiarised 7th century nonsense deserving only 21st century contempt.

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