What’s history compared to flattery by a Saudi Prince?
Well, it looks like Trump gave the Israeli’s what they wanted, for them to agree to whatever deal it is that Kushner cooked up between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Apparently, Friday is scheduled to be a day of death by Hamas. I guess we’ll see what all else happens over the few weeks.
It’s been reasonably clear to me for a few weeks now that Kushner was arranging something. I have to imagine that Iran noticed if I did. I don’t know if that has given them sufficient time to decide how to respond and to put everything into place for it.
Goodness! :eek: Has someone alerted the media?
Who says it’s what Israelis want?
Sure, we’d like it if the world recognized the fact that Jerusalem is our capital. After all, it’s been the seat of the Israeli government since 1950 - and arguably, since circa 1000 BC - and the world’s refusal to notice this is another one of those snubs and annoyances we regularly have to deal with as a country.
But Jesus, not now, and not like this. We want international recognition, not just U.S. recognition, and the world hates Trump so much that it’ll probably push actual acceptance back decades. If Obama had suggested it we’d be overjoyed, but Obama don’t live here no more. Instead, what we get is an empty gesture that could destabilize a very fragile situation. This could very well lead to a new intifada and missile attacks on Tel Aviv; at best, we’ll still see some horrific violence.
So while no Jewish Israeli politician will speak out against Trump’s declaration (who wants to be labeled anti-Jerusalem?), I haven’t seen many coming out in favor of it, either. All Trump will have done is get Israelis and Palestinians killed for no real gain.
Israel released a bunch of information to Vanity Affair a couple of weeks ago, about their side of things on the laptop bomb intel that Trump leaked to Kislyak in the Oval Office. The general message of the article read to me as, “You may be offering us goods, but either you’re an idiot or in bed with Russia, so if you want us to bite, you’re going to have to do something to make us go against our better judgement.”
I presumed that this was what Trump had agreed to offer them, to make them bite. Though it could well be that he’s just doing it because he thinks it’s what they want, incorrectly.
Maybe it’s Jared Kushner’s Hanukkah present, but I suspect that far right evangelical Christian nut jobs are playing a role in this one. There are some really scary Christian radicals that have wanted a war with Islam for years. In past administrations - even conservative ones - they would have been given a seat at the far end of the table and largely ignored. But one of the reasons that Christian radicals are so into Trump is that he doesn’t ignore them. They give him the praise that his narcissistic soul seeks, and in return he gives them more influence. And these are some really terrifying people, and they’re probably just as antisemitic as Muslims, if not more so. But right now Muslims are in their cross hairs. In the minds of these people, though, once they crush Islam, they’ll take Jerusalem in the name of Christ.
Well if you go by that then you’ll have to vacate the premises I am afraid. Time to give it back to its original owners, the Jesubites.
Anyone have their addresses handy?
That’s probably us, too.
I’ve just had a brilliant idea for a Christian-themed snack food…
As for Jerusalem, it’s a win-win for Trump - it supposedly makes the Israelis happy, it pisses off Muslims and it’s yet another distraction from the ongoing clusterfuck in the White House and the investigation into it.
Yeah, what could be more exciting for the American Christian evangelicals than a destructive conflict in the ME between the Jews and the Muslims?
…and Palestinians as well.
I heard it mentioned on the TV news this morning that it was one of Trump’s campaign promises. I don’t recall him making that one, but it does sound like something he’d promise without having looked into the ramifications.
I sincerely think that the reason he did this, and did it now, is because he’s feeling heat from the Mueller investigation and is trying to throw sand in everyone’s eyes.
Also, this is the day that TIME Magazine announces Person Of The Year.
Time’s Persons of the Year are the Silence Breakers, those who have spoken out against sexual abuse. Not an abuser.
Uh, yeah. So imagine he’s a dick who wants to make sure he gets publicity today; what would he do, and when would he do it? No, not to get another shot at the cover; to get headlines and attention by influencing events – on the day when he knew someone else was going to get named as the biggest influence on events.
Picture a stubby little finger hovering over a red button …
If this goes down the way I think it might, then he’s basically setting the region on fire. What’s ironic is that up until now, Saudi Arabia and a few of the other Arab states in the region were actually quietly warming up to the idea of cooperation with the US (and even Israel) in containing Iran. Trump would be handing Iran a major victory, and it would put pressure on Saudi Arabia to condemn the United States and Israel. This would also cause an even worse deterioration of relations between the US and Turkey, which could conceivably end NATO as we know it. America could become a regional pariah; Russia a hero. As someone else said on another thread, it’s almost as if this is Vladimir Putin’s game plan.
AK84:
David legitimately BOUGHT that land from the Jebusites. (Well, at least the Temple Mount.)
Just like Clinton, Bush II, and Obama did.
I’m woefully underinformed about the complex issues at play here, so excuse me if this is a dumb post.
I gather that almost no one thinks it’s a good idea for Trump to make this announcement, and there seems to be little benefit to the US in doing so at this time. Pretty much everyone AFAICT is saying this will just cause an uptick in conflict. I’m pretty sure this is the intent. My assumption is that Trump is trying to provoke an escalation that he can use as a reason to go to war and/or to further his anti-Muslim agenda in the US. “See? See? They’re terrorists, and we have to prevent all immigration from Muslim countries. And, by the way, we’re going to begin carpet bombing in five minutes.” GWB had some coherent, if disastrously wrongheaded and mendacious, reasons for invading Iraq. Trump seems to be motivated purely by anti-Muslim animus and a childish understanding of “strength” in leadership.
Maybe we can see both the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula go up in flames at the same time. As Trump might say, “I don’t know. We’ll see. I think you’ll see something happening very soon.”