You might say Netanyahu has been Israel’s Donald Trump, only smarter. Obama, and several presidents before him, at least partially restrained Israeli settlement construction. Now, in Trump, Netanyahu has a U.S. president who enables and even eggs on Israeli nationalism. By recognizing Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights last month, Trump convinced Israel’s far right that there would be no serious opposition to a West Bank seizure. Some hope that Trump might thwart an Israeli annexation by issuing the long-promised Middle East peace plan drawn up by Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt.

Source: Washington Post April 14, 2019 23:15 UTC