Jack Engelhard
Jack Engelhardhttp://www.jackengelhard.com

A few days ago we spoke about President Trump’s style of leadership, which is to keep your opponents guessing. Never tell what you plan to do next.

That was about the “settlements” and Trump’s advice to Israel to build but to quit yapping about it ahead of time... which only energizes Israel’s enemies.

Tipping your hand is the worst sort of diplomacy whether it’s poker or politics – and now let’s talk about moving the United States Embassy to Jerusalem.

My guess – and actually it’s more than a guess – is that President Trump will get it done. But he will get it done his way.

Today he tweeted “I call my own shots” and though it was on some other topic, be sure he meant Jerusalem as well.

Do not expect anything flashy enough to harm America’s relationships with its Arab allies, like the king of Jordan, who’s on record, naturally, as being upset about all this Embassy talk – and if we say it’s none of his business, remember, Trump is president of the United States and not the prime minister of Israel. Trump’s got his own balancing act to consider.

That America and Israel share the same friends, values and national interests, good, but as Trump keeps saying, “America first.”

This is excellent news. Doing right by Israel means doing right for America – but not so fast.

Trump will make the move to Jerusalem but at the correct moment -- when it’s time to tip his hand and without fanfare.

Trump will make the move one brick at a time.

Consider it another way of saying, “Next Year in Jerusalem.”

Too slow, people said. First came the groups crowing that it’s a done deal. Trump had been in office but one day and already he kept his word. He’s a friend. Next day he was a bum because no US Embassy magically appeared in Jerusalem. Already he’s betrayed.

They don’t know Trump. He is loyal and true to his friends, which means Israel, but to the rest the winning strategy is to keep them on edge.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have to learn this from Trump, the art of keeping your foes and even your friends in suspense, and he will have to learn to roll with the punches, keeping in mind that, as opposed to Obama, Trump is here to help, even if he doesn’t always get it right.

To get it right, President Trump needs to listen carefully to what Netanyahu has to say when they speak by phone or meet in person in a few days.

That would be a perfect time for Netanyahu to spring his own surprise – why, Mr. President, is there a PLO embassy in Washington, D.C.?

Does Trump know this? Does anybody? Do people know that there, smack in the middle of our nation’s capital, in the shadow of Lincoln’s colossal statue, sits an eyesore that is an insult to all our virtues, American and Israeli alike. The PLO is Radical Islam.

Trump knows Radical Islam. He is trying to keep it from coming here, but here it is, blocks away from the White House in Washington.

Meantime, Jerusalem sits out in the cold.

So Netanyahu is in a perfect spot to suggest that since Trump is a grand dealmaker, here’s the deal -- dismantle that PLO blight one brick at a time.

Do it to make your mark as a president who finally understands that the United States and Israel stand together on everything, starting with the fight against Islamic terrorism. So at the same time, build that US Embassy in Jerusalem also one brick at a time, or whatever timing is most suitable, but get it done.

Something’s terribly wrong when a gang of PLO terrorists gets to enjoy our home cooking in D.C. while Jerusalem starves for recognition.

This needs to be fixed.

New York-based bestselling American novelist Jack Engelhard writes a regular column for Arutz Sheva. New from the novelist: “News Anchor Sweetheart,” a novelist’s version of Fox News and Megyn Kelly. Engelhard is the author of the international bestseller “Indecent Proposal.” For books like his award-winning memoir “Escape from Mount Moriah,” he is the recipient of the Ben Hecht Award for Literary Excellence. Website: www.jackengelhard.com