by Ariel Bolstein
The meeting between Netanyahu and Trump will put a lock on the past eight years and usher in a new chapter in the history of our region.
The meeting between
U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
planned for Feb. 15 not only cements the alliance between the two
countries, but heralds an upgrade to it, especially given the coolness
of the past few years.
The order in which the
new president conducts phone conversations after he is sworn in, as of
course the order of his diplomatic meetings, is not random and hints at
the administration's priorities. Most of the world's capitals are
intently following Trump's schedule of meetings, and want to know who
will be invited to Washington first and who will be left at the back of
the line. For Trump to set a meeting with Netanyahu so quickly after
taking office carries symbolic meaning for both Israel and its leader,
and emphasizes that Israel is the superpower's most important ally.
But the real importance
of the meeting is beyond the symbolic. A major part of Trump's campaign
rested on rejecting former President Barack Obama's attitude toward the
Jewish state. Even before taking office, Trump tried to torpedo Obama's
move to condemn Israel in the U.N. Security Council, which he saw as
illegitimate. When that did not succeed, Trump promised that when he
took office, things would turn around, and Israel would not need to
worry about being betrayed by its greatest friend.
Now it's time for him
to make good on his promise, and as we've seen with other issues, the
new American president excels at keeping his promises.
It should be noted that
even under a less supportive president like Obama, Israel-U.S. ties
grew stronger, especially in a number of fields less directly affected
by presidential influence. A vast majority of those in Congress see
Israel as a key, irreplaceable ally and a partner in the values of
freedom. The American defense establishment sees us similarly. Now the
top of the pyramid is joining them, and he is not hampered by
ideological blindness. He clearly sees who the Middle East good guys and
bad guys are.
Obama wanted to be
remembered as a peacemaker, but he will be remembered as someone who
failed utterly in the Middle East arena. The meeting between Netanyahu
and Trump will put a lock on the past eight years and usher in a new
chapter in the history of our region. There are plenty of signs showing
that our two countries will write that chapter together. The new
president does not intend to pressure Israel and demand that it make
concessions that will harm and endanger it. The time has come to put
pressure on these who really sow murder and put world peace at risk: the
various Islamic terrorist organizations, from Hamas to Hezbollah, and
dark regimes like the Palestinian Authority under President Mahmoud
Abbas and, of course, the evildoers in Tehran.
On Feb. 15, the U.S.
president and the Israeli prime minister will sit in the White House and
sketch out their policy for the near future. We can guess that after
the meeting, new rules will apply. The biggest superpower in the world
and its primary ally will take an uncompromising line against anyone who
seeks to attack Israel and the free world. What's more, the Americans
will no longer see the Jewish hold on Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria as
something to be condemned.
Obama started his
presidency with the infamous Cairo speech, in which he tried to extend
his hand to the Muslim Brotherhood. Trump is beginning his term by
meeting with the prime minister of Israel. What a difference.
Ariel Bolstein
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=18299
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