TRUMP, ISRAEL, GAZA: BLAME ALL AROUND

May 14 was the opening ceremony for the new, temporary United States embassy in Jerusalem, and also a violent day of demonstrations, deaths and injuries on the Gaza side of the Israel-Gaza border. 

As an American, I am insulted, ashamed, embarrassed and angered by the opportunism of the administration of Donald J. Trump. As a Jew, I am insulted, angry and once again not supportive of the opportunistic actions of the Benjamin Netanyahu government of Israel. And as a human being, I am angered by the callous opportunism of Hamas, and greatly saddened by the deaths and injuries of Gazans. 

The Trump move of the American embassy to Jerusalem was not part of a comprehensive foreign policy plan; it is evident that the Trumpsters have no such plan. The embassy move was both a ploy by Trump to please elements of his evangelical Christian base, who, as one attendee said, have "prayed for 20 years" for this action, as well as an attempt to burnish his own reputation in his own eyes. The move was also a strong boost for Netanyahu from his best new friend, Donald Trump. (Have they created a new monster named Netrumpyahoo?) 

As always, the politics and situations in the Middle East, and in this case, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, are complex and demand an objective view to be understood. Peace between Israelis and Palestinians remains elusive, and the conflict has long been a political football kicked around by all sides. What was evident May 14 was the raw opportunism from the three major players: the United States, Israel, and Hamas.

The way the embassy opening was staged is an insult and an outrage. The religious leader  (Robert Jeffress) invited to give the opening prayer at the dedication of the American Embassy in Jerusalem is an evangelical Christian who once said that Judaism, along with Mormonism, Islam and Hinduism, is one of the religions "that lead people to an eternity of separation from God in Hell."  Jeffress is one of Trump's spiritual advisers, and was referred to as a "religious bigot" in a tweet by Mitt Romney yesterday. 

The Trump administration also had John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel, deliver a benediction at the ceremony. Hagee is another religious extremist who has stated that Hitler was part of a "divine plan from God" to return the Jews to the Land of Israel, and has also argued that Jews are to blame for their own persecution over the centuries because they have not converted to Christianity. 

The fact that Trump invited these bigots to spew their brand of Christianity at an embassy opening - whatever happened to the separation of church and state - is bad enough; the fact that Netanyahu had no problem with known anti-Semites speaking is even more insulting and egregious. But this is how Netrumpyahoo rolls! 

Netanyahu gave a victory speech. Sure, it makes sense for embassies of other nations to be in the same city as the government institutions of the host country; however, Jerusalem is not a normal situation, under international law. No other country (except Italy) has its embassy or consulate in Jerusalem; they are all in Tel Aviv and surrounding locations. Trump's action was designed to support and polish the tarnished reputation and standing of Netanyahu, as well his own. The embassy move is not part of a larger policy or plan, and it is at its core a very cynical action. In announcing the move, Trump made no mention of the Palestinian Authority, and the fact that their goal is that Jerusalem will be their capitol. The Trump action simply erased any hopes in the minds of Palestinians that the United States can be trusted, and can be counted as a partner at the table for future peace negotiations. 

There is no doubt in my mind that Netanyahu represents the Israeli factions that consider all of the West Bank (and probably, eventually Gaza) as part of the real Israel (Judea and Sumaria), and have no intention giving any of it to Palestinians as a Palestinian state. This is why the Netanyahu government continues to build and expand Jewish settlements in the Occupied Territories. This is why Trump moving the U. S. embassy to Jerusalem, a contested city, is a great victory. 

And then there is Hamas. What presumably started as a non-violent series of demonstrations by people in Gaza to highlight their losses of family land and homes, following the war between Arabs and Jews when Israel was declared a nation 70 years ago, was taken over by Hamas for violent purposes. Hamas officials have stated that a majority of the Gazans killed by Israeli troops were Hamas members. The story that is emerging is that Hamas fighters were trying to hide within the large crowd of demonstrators, hoping that, if and when the demonstrators were able to penetrate the border fence, these armed fighters could rush in and try to kill or capture Israelis. 

Hamas urged the crowds to rush the border fence, knowing full well that many would be injured or killed. The dead would then be hailed as martyrs and heroes. Hamas is a terrorist organization. It has plunged the people of Gaza into a condition of poverty, joblessness, poor education and health care, and severely restricted travel, in a territory with usually sealed borders. I don't think the Israeli blockade came first; it is clear that the constant drumbeat of terrorism on the part of Hamas provoked the closed border and restricted imports into the Gaza strip. 

Palestine/Israel is a complicated place and an extremely complex set of political realities. No involved party is totally right; no involved party is totally wrong - they all share blame for the current situation. It is easy to criticize Israel every time it defends itself or its borders, and some criticisms are justified. But to simply lay the blame for the constant string of violence on one player, Israel, is to be a lazy thinker and knee-jerk reactor. 

The Trump move of the American embassy to Jerusalem did not cause the Gaza demonstrations, but it did contribute. The cynicism and opportunism rampant in the Trump, Netanyahu and Hamas administrations has created a higher level of distrust, anger, and violence, as well as pushing the prospect of a peaceful settlement between neighbors much less likely. 

A pox on all of their houses! 

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