Trump's Invitation To Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas To Visit The White House
As you know folks I was not (nor am very likely to be) a supporter of Donald Trump......but........his invitation to President Abbas, was, in my view, a masterstroke in diplomacy. The sooner it happens the better for world peace.
A U.S. President With More Jewish Roots Openly Declared (In Advance of a U.S. Election) Than Most
I recall after Donald Trump was elected President of The United States (in an election whose outcome should, in my view, have been declared null and void) receiving a mail out from a pro-Zionist organization (Middle East Forum) lauding the fact that there would be more money, guns, bombs to used against 'Arab Terrorists', a President (Trump) committed to more large scale Jewish settlements on 'eretz Israel' and (the newsletter) both denigrating and vilifying all Arabs, just stopping short of calling them all 'terrorists'.
I was shocked and saddened at this turn of events - but from this Newsletter I regularly receive, it was not unexpected.
Could Trump Actually Achieve The Impossible?
I have said many times, the greatest world threats against the United States today, are all based around the subject of terrorism, and many because of disenfranchisements in the Muslim world and indeed elsewhere you can find grievances which stretch back, in some instances, centuries.
Northern Ireland is the classic (Until the historic Good Friday Agreement brokered by Premier Tony Blair in the United Kingdom and historic peace and majority democratic government in South Africa (brokered behind the scenes by The United States and Great Britain.) So two of the greatest long-running insurgency wars in the modern world were brought to an end through democratic creative political dialog leading to conflict resolution.
The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea
Sadly one conflict - that between the Sri Lankan Tamils and Sinhalese communities ended in bloodshed - and with the assassination (some will say outright murder) of the Leader of the Tamil Tigers.
I have a particular personal regret here because Sri Lanka is a very beautiful country.
More than five centuries earlier, the Chinese, under the flag of the Great Treasure Fleet, found a similar situation between the two factious tribes - the Sinhalese and the Tamils. They eventually just gave up trying to impose their own (external and unwanted) peace, by force, on both communities.
Historic Opportunities Like This Arise Once in a Presidential Lifetime
There is undoubtedly a unique opportunity for President Trump to achieve the unimaginable - a permanent lasting peace between Arab and Jew, Israeli and Palestinian, Muslim and Jew worldwide. This alone would easily propel Trump as one of the greatest ever Presidents of the United States (if not the greatest) in the arena of foreign diplomacy and foreign affairs.
The advantage that he has is that he is a new President, not a career diplomat, so he is likely to be open to more advice from non-traditional sources within and outside the government.
The disadvantage is that he must take heed when dealing with the Saudis and Iranians who, both, for their own different Sunni and Shia world empire 'visions' would be happy to see this conflict go on to the end of time.
I have, in the course of my travels, met many such individuals and their world visions are not worlds Muslims and non-Muslims would care to exist in. I have also met many Zionists and they too have little time for any viewpoints other than their own.
So Trump has a unique historic opportunity.
Remarkably, perhaps, I wish him every success with this future meeting. Because on this meeting the future lives or deaths and existences of millions (if not more) of souls, not yet born, may very well depend. It is a historic opportunity which will frighten many - and who will try to obstruct it - maybe even taking extreme measures.
To let President Abbas return to The West Bank with absolutely nothing would also be one of the greatest of historical blunders by a U.S. President in the history of the United States and certain to cement Trump's place in history as 'all talk no action'.
The objectives of the first meeting between the two Presidents should be spelt out (and agreed) well in advance so that President Abbas, after a legthy U.S. welcome in both Houses and across the business spectrum and other discussions with many representatives, when he goes home, is ready in due course for his own historic announcement to the Palestinian people - of a final peace delivered by the United States.
[Wishful thinking? Probably. But this history has yet to arrive so, as yet, do not completely discount it!]
Netanyahu
I have never liked Prime Minister Netanyau either - but he is a man to be trusted at his word an he also will have to make some very painful concessions (from a position of strength) so that he too can likewise claim to have saved millions of future lives, Arab and Jew, Israeli and Palestinian, Muslim, Jew and Christian, from certain future wars, death and destruction in the Middle east and throughout the world.
Trojan Horses
Apart from Saudi Arabia and Iran the one country which will be 'unhappy' will be Turkey.
Turkey is on the road to becoming a religious country. It's leadership is committed to a Salafist Turkey to control the Muslim world of the Middle East the Gulf and in the Caucasuses.
An attempted coup (which could have easily succeeded if President Obama had not been so indecisive) could have started to reverse the trend.
Now, Erdogan has purged the armed forces and is firmly in control to implement his 'vision' for a Salafist Turkish Empire.
Ironically in the end it could well be Turkey which poses the greatest threat to a historic accord between Israel and Palestine.
[It was not always this way. I can remember a time when not only was I proud to be a friend of senior Turkish diplomats, but could suggest to it's Ambassador some wise counsel - and he would listen very carefully and with respect.
It was the same wisdom and pragmatism which initiated secret Cape Verde located discussions between the Apartheid South African government
and the Africa National Congress representatives.]
A Lost Historic Opportunity
Likewise could have been achieved, but for the election of Erdogan, between the Kurds and Turkish government.
Northern Ireland
It was that same pragmatism in Northern Ireland, during the era of Premier Thatcher (who preceded Premier Blair) and continued by Premier John Major, which finally led to the Good Friday Agreement between the Northern Irish Nationalist Catholic Community and the Protestant (ethnic British) Loyalist Protestant communities during the Blair administration.
It could never have been made possible however without the underwriting of this historic agreement by the United States and President Bill Clinton (perhaps America's most loved, hated and vilified President - even as he left Office.)
Those days are long since gone.
At the Crossroads
So we are still at the crossroads of history - but this time with President Donald Trump and the greatest world security issue fueling conflict across the globe - where few can see a way forward out of the current political deadlock.
Let's see if this forthcoming meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas and President Trump is just all about smiles and handshakes or if there is some 'meat' on the 'bone', for all sides to savor.
© Patrick Emek, March 2017
References:
As I mentioned before where I omit references it is deliberate and you have the resources to seek them out for yourself:
those would include topics such as:
1.U.S. Secret Diplomacy during the Apartheid years
2.Secret Meetings in Africa and Cape Verde between the Government of South Africa and the Africa National Congress Representatives
3.Northern Ireland - with particular emphasis on the secret meetings between Sinn Fein and British government representatives during the years of Premier John Major.
4.The role of the United States in encouraging a peace settlement and the appointment of a Peace Envoy to 'oversee' amongst other things, the decommissioning of military weapons by the Irish Republican Army (The IRA) and other para-military groups.
For the issue of Kurdistan and Israel- Palestine, these are ongoing conflicts - at least one of which now may present, a rare historic opportunity for a
unique American President - and a very skeptical world especially - but not exclusively - mainstream media, or, as Trump would scorn and muffle in his sleep, 'fake news' (!)
PE
