Trump’s Next Move
It’s starting to look like making peace is a lot more difficult and complex than making war.
Over the last few days, the body of the murdered Israeli police officer Ran Gvili was recovered in Gaza. He was finally laid to rest in Israel.
For President Trump—after a year in office and with three years to go—it looks like he needs to do a lot less talking and more doing what needs to get done.
The terrorists and terror-led countries don’t need warnings or threats. If he wants to wipe out the leadership in Iran and bring in a new government to run the country, then just do it without giving everyone one more chance.
It’s great to hear the details about the bombers, the armaments, and the missiles that are packed onto theUSS Abraham Lincoln, but then what? In return, Iran displays photos of their super destructive hypersonic missiles and they indeed look powerful.
But today, Donald Trump is dealing with a different type of international pressure and that is one he created himself. On the surface, it sounds like a good thing that 60 countries have joined together to help restore and rebuild Gaza. On the flip side, the U.S. and Trump now have 60 partners that they will have to consult with on whatever the U.S. has planned. That means having some or most of those plans passed on to Israel and America’s enemies and detractors.
And by no means are those plans, which are part of phase two, finalized. Israel will not agree to have military or security personnel from Turkey, Pakistan, or Qatar stationed in the new Gaza. Prime Minister Netanyahu will also not agree to allow representatives of the Palestinian Authority into Gaza either.
This is where the team of Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner comes into the picture. Witkoff is very close to the Qataris by virtue of the business they have done together. Witkoff was stuck with a building in Manhattan that he could not sell or make proper payments on. Qatar bought the building from him for $700 million. Kushner, on the other hand, is close to the Saudis and, in particular, Mohammed bin Salman, or the Crown Prince known as MBS.
In the aftermath of the Abraham Accords, the Saudis helped finance Kushner’s real estate holdings to the tune of $2 billion. The Saudis don’t care for and in fact harbor a great deal of animosity towards the Qataris, who are prominent supporters of terrorist organizations like Hamas, the PA, the Houthis, and Iran.
None of these entities care much for Turkey either, which, while Muslim, is not ethnically Arab. But at the same time, among the 60 or so countries that are now involved on some level in the rebuilding of Gaza, when the name Turkey comes up, the name of Turkish strongman Erdogan is also raised, and you will always hear President Trump say how much he likes him and how much the latter likes Trump. This matter of who likes who and how much is an elementary school matter and does not belong in high-stakes diplomacy.
That might sound good and even on some level encouraging for the future. The problem is that dictatorial leaders like Erdogan, who have fake elections, know that Trump will be out of office in three years, but most likely they will still be there.
In the past, we’ve all heard more than once how Bibi feels about Trump and that Trump is the best friend Israel ever had in the White House. But you will also hear Erdogan refer to the IDF as Nazis, etc. Not exactly a friendly or hopeful gesture for peace, nor the type of person you would want anywhere near your border, even if Trump likes him.
The great accomplishment this week was the return of the remains of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili. While this closes the book on the over two-year hostage matter, what is equally or possibly of greater importance is that the IDF had to do an exhaustive search to recover his body. There was little to no assistance from Hamas at all.
This once again emphasizes how important it is that for real peace, Hamas must be completely eliminated. As long as there is any remnant of Hamas in Gaza, they will disrupt any possibility of peace.
The creation of a Board of Peace by Trump was a stroke of genius for both Israel and the U.S. It didn’t take more than a few seconds after Trump created the board to announce that he would be the chairman of the board.
In a sense, the Board of Peace (BoP) is a replacement for the failed and almost exclusively anti-Israel United Nations. The other good news, especially if the Board of Peace is successful, is that Mr. Trump can continue as its chairman long after his term of president is over. If it were up to me, I would not call Mr. Trump Chairman; I would give him the title Secretary General.
What role each country plays in the new Gaza is still being argued about, debated, and discussed. If Turkey, Qatar, and Pakistan want to have their security apparatus near the border of Gaza, that is not a good sign. If they want to play a role in the new Gaza, the only foreseeable one would be to train their people to be lifeguards on the Gaza beaches—far from the border of Israel.
Another important matter is the Rafah crossing into Egypt. Rafah has been the main conduit through which arms, terrorists, and large sums of money have passed into Gaza all these years. The Egyptians do not want an Israeli presence there. That is not a good sign and Trump should reject that notion.
In the meantime, the Board of Peace has a lot to accomplish in order to get even remotely close to peace. The first order of business is to disarm Hamas, eliminate all the terrorists, and do what needs to be done to change the face of Iran and free the Iranian people. These matters don’t sound too peaceful but sometimes you have to travel over a bumpy road in order to reach your destination. If a little war brings peace, that’s good too.
Read more of Larry Gordon’s articles at 5TJT.com. Follow 5 Towns Jewish Times on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and live videos. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome at 5TJT.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
