Can prosperity really bring peace to the Middle East? Unpacking Trump's plan
M
icah Goodman is the author of the best-selling Catch 67: The Left, the Right, and the Legacy of the Six-Day War. In it, the philosopher traces the development of the ideologies of the left and right and defines the central problem in Israeli politics. Israel is caught in a proverbial catch-22: It can neither safely withdraw from Judea and Samaria, nor can it annex the territory without irrevocably changing the state’s character. It is that tension, that inescapable problem, that has left so many Israelis confused about the present and fearful for the future.
Born in Jerusalem to American parents and a current resident of Kfar Edumim, Dr. Goodman asks readers to drop their baseline assumptions and fully consider the arguments of the opposition. He challenges readers to understand Palestinian aspirations as well. From the perspective of the Palestinians, Goodman writes, the conflict revolves around three central pillars: One, Islam’s perceived humiliation by the West. Two, the trauma of the stunning loss in the 1948 War of Independence. Three, the pain of 50 years of military rule since the 1967 Six Day War.
With the White House’s “Peace to Prosperity” plan now public, I asked Goodman to consider the Trump administration’s approach to peace and whether the proposal has any chance for success.
It’s hard to assess the plan because we don’t have the political part, but here’s the two things we know. We see the economic part, which makes a lot of sense, and then there’s the Trump rhetoric about peace and the “deal of the century” — fairly big rhetoric. But all of these steps on the ground don’t add up to the rhetoric of President Trump.
Create a free account to keep reading.
