Cracks in the Silence

D onald Trump isn’t known for his discretion but until two weeks ago his Mideast negotiations team led by senior advisor Jared Kushner and special representative Jason Greenblatt managed to keep their business quiet by working diligently and effectively without any unnecessary hype or spotlight-seeking. During the 11 months of Trump’s tenure the two have made several trips between Washington Jerusalem and Ramallah in an effort to genuinely understand the sides and what it will take to get them back to the negotiating table.

That silence helped cement the feeling both in Israel and in the US that something concrete was in the making that would be revealed when the time was ripe. Recently American sources started dropping hints that a creative diplomatic initiative would be presented in a matter of weeks. The right wing wasn’t very optimistic about the plan; they don’t see peace happening anytime soon but they’re concerned that Netanyahu might be forced to pay a price along the way.

Since Trump’s dramatic declaration recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital the tables have turned with elements of the hush-hush plans coming out into the open — a sure sign of a snafu.

Last Wednesday Abu Mazen denounced the Jerusalem declaration as “the greatest crime ” adding that he was considering his next step in the UN. When I contacted the White House I was surprised that instead of the usual generic response the senior spokesman said “This rhetoric which has prevented peace for years is not surprising as we anticipated reactions like this.”