WSecond ill Trump administration lights up Israeli annexation of West Bank? Several of the President-elect's recent appointments have suggested at least some friendliness to this idea. Donald Trump's pick for US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who has previously said that “there really is no such thing as a Palestinian,” told Israel Army Radio that “Yes” Israeli annexation is possible, although nothing has yet happened. it decided. Pro-Annexation Israel hardliners, seemingly emboldened by Trump's election, are pushing the idea with new verve.
Whether Trump intended to show support for the installation is unclear, but if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu interprets it that way, disaster is the likely outcome. If Israel takes the West Bank, it will wipe out any hope of a Palestinian state, cause serious damage to the US's standing around the world, and throw the region where more than 40,000 US troops are stationed into the worst chaos we have seen since at least the 1973 Arab- Israel's war. It would be disastrous for US interests and the Trump Administration should strongly discourage it.
Israel's seizure of the heart of the future Palestinian state will cause unrest that could fuel new waves of terrorism against not only Israel but the US as well. Washington's support for Tel Aviv was one of Osama bin Laden's three reasons for declaring jihad against the US. forward. an arms supplier to Tel Aviv, which may have “general” implications.
Terrorism is not an existential threat. But terrorist attacks have repeatedly provoked Washington into actions that undermine US security—including the 20-year-plus occupation of Afghanistan, the ongoing campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and other developments in the Global War on Terrorism. These self-inflicted wounds are the main reason the US keeps returning to the Middle East, despite the widespread agreement among foreign policy experts that Washington should focus its limited resources on a rising China and pressing issues at home.
Additional dangers to US integration exist beyond terrorism. The annexation of the West Bank could provoke attacks by Israel's enemies, especially Iran, which could draw US troops. Although Tehran's position has been weakened—with its ally Hezbollah decapitated and friendly regime Assad brought down—Iran can still target Israel with drones and missiles.
The US has already intervened several times this year to directly defend Israel from such attacks. Doing so puts the lives of US soldiers at risk, which in turn increases the risk of an endless war between the US and Iran.
The risk of escalation is even higher now that US personnel have been sent to Israel to operate the THAAD missile defense system provided by Tel Aviv. Those troops—along with U.S. forces stationed nearby in Iraq, Syria and Jordan—are obvious targets for Tehran's retaliation. If an Iranian military strike injures or kills US personnel, the pressure on Washington to respond militarily would be greater, even though war with Iran would harm American interests.
The annexation of the West Bank could damage Israel's relations with Egypt and Jordan and alienate European military allies who have aided US missile defense efforts, leaving Washington alone to bear the brunt.
The ramifications of Jordan are very troubling. Not only could Jordan refuse to participate in future missile defense, but the annexation of the West Bank could jeopardize the survival of a friendly Jordanian regime. Serious tensions already exist between Jordanians in the Palestinian East and the 2.3 million Palestinian refugees, representing 20% of the country's population, who have been granted sanctuary there. The growing crisis in the West Bank may encourage more refugees to enter Jordan which may well destabilize the Hashemite kingdom. The last thing the US needs is another failed state in the Middle East, especially with the ongoing chaos in Syria.
On top of that, the inclusion would also undo the Abraham Accords, which fixed relations between Israel and several Arab states by 2020, and which Trump has cited as one of his biggest foreign policy achievements.
Unfortunately, recent personnel decisions made by Netanyahu suggest an eagerness to interpret Trump's signals as green lights. Shortly after Trump won the presidency, Netanyahu appointed Yechiel Leitner, a settlement advocate who favors Israeli “sovereignty” over the West Bank, as Israel's ambassador to the US.
Encouraging Israel's annexation of the West Bank would be a grave mistake, and Trump should demonstrate unwavering US opposition to it. This would not be a repeat of when Trump saw Israel's 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights, which caused a slight backlash. It is also more dangerous than if Israel tries to make the recently captured Syrian territory in Mount Hermon and Quneitra province.
Israel's occupation of the West Bank would greatly improve the status quo, cause chaos, and push the US into the Middle East against its own strategic goals.
Source link
