Middle East

It’s been a while since Bibi pressed Trump to release his Deal of the Century. As we’ve heard from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Jared Kushner, it’s more a vision than a concrete plan. Somewhere at its heart are several basic ideas, such as Israeli expansion and the creation of a Palestinian state. However, there is a lot of detail to work through, most likely by negotiations before anything major can occur. However, Bibi’s base, more than Bibi himself, has seized on the elements favorable to them and are urging unilateral Israeli expansion. Depending on who’s talking, it’s a formal acquisition of the Jordan Valley, Maale Adumim, Gush Etzion, Ariel, and other settlements. Bibi has wavered between encouraging this kind of talk, saying that he’d do it this week or next, and saying that he needs the support of the Americans to do it. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]

The Deal of the Century.” It’s a mess. With some good features, as well as others. On the good side, it does away with the 1967 lines, outdated by more than 50 years of movement here and there, and kept alive only by Palestinian ideology, which competes with Palestinian ideas tying things to pre-1948. Except for that, the deal seems to present as many problems as opportunities.The Deal of the Century.” It’s a mess. With some good features, as well as others. On the good side, it does away with the 1967 lines, outdated by more than 50 years of movement here and there, and kept alive only by Palestinian ideology, which competes with Palestinian ideas tying things to pre-1948. Except for that, the deal seems to present as many problems as opportunities. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]