Well here’s an offer that will be easy to refuse. In fact the Arab side has already done so, and the Israelis are not too thrilled about it, either. The Arabs say not enough (for the “Palestinians”) and the Israelis say too much…and the Plan hasn’t even been made public yet. Nothing official from the White House. But word has been spreading like the flu that President Trump has come up with something for a Peace Plan, and if you believe it, it goes like this – The Palestinian Arabs get a demilitarized state…limited sovereignty…with East Jerusalem as their capital, but under international supervision. No such thing as limited sovereignty – and who’s to run their half…PA, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad? You know they’ll all be going for it guns blazing. They won’t need tunnels anymore, either. They’ll be right there in Israel’s living room. As we said elsewhere -- International supervision means the UN. What can possibly go wrong? "The deal gives him (Abbas) everything and gives Israel nothing except Hamas/ISIS smack in the middle of the country.” International supervision means the UN. What can possibly go wrong? So as usual, the Israelis give, the Arabs take, though the Israelis do get to keep a settlement here and a settlement there…as if it’s a favor where Jews can live in their own country. If, as I said, you believe any of this, which I don’t…at least I don’t believe it came from Trump. Sounds, to me, more like Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The Donald Trump who proclaimed Jerusalem the capital of Israel cannot be the same Donald Trump now willing to cut the baby in half. That form of surgery we expect from State -- but can Trump be persuaded to buy that Arabist point of view? Maybe. Yes, Maybe. But I don’t think so. I think 1. Trump needs the United States to reassert itself as number one within the region after the lame Obama years, 2. So any Plan will do, whether it works or not, to keep hands off from Russia, Europe, the UN and any other power. 3. Trump agreed to give Tillerson’s Plan a shot…at least to float it out there… knowing all the while that it was doomed, an offer that Israel can only refuse . But in diplomatic terms, it’s called Staying in the Game. Advocates for Sovereign Israel call the Plan “a regional disaster.” Mainly so because it “would bring about the division of the Land and the establishment of a terror state in its heart.” We said so more than a year ago in this column titled, “Cutting Israel in half isn’t the answer, Mr. President.” Even then we made these points: 1. We can only assume that this plan, from what’s been leaked so far…will come under review… to be scrapped once common sense prevails. 2. When did Israel become a beggar panhandling for scraps of its own sovereign territory? 3. The Plan could only have been written by PA “chairman” Mahmoud Abbas. 4. A two-state solution, which is at the center of this proposal, is what Palestinian Arabs whisper among themselves as the Final Solution. 5. A “Palestinian” state does nothing for the security of the United States. A strong Israel means everything for the United States. So we’re saying it again – “Please keep that in mind, Mr. President, when you go over this carefully and tear this new deal to shreds and come up with something in our favor… for Israel and for America.” New York-based bestselling American novelist Jack Engelhard writes regularly for Arutz Sheva. Just released is his augmented HOLLYWOOD EDITION of “News Anchor Sweetheart.” Engelhard wrote the international book-to-movie bestseller “Indecent Proposal” and the inside-journalism thriller “The Bathsheba Deadline.” He is the recipient of the Ben Hecht Award for Literary Excellence. Website: www.jackengelhard.com
