Heads up! Trump and the UN targeting Israel again

Apartheid was a political system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa during the mid to late 1900’s. In a new report issued by the United Nations’ Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, Israel has been found guilty of apartheid when it comes to how they deal with the Palestinians—a group of people who refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist and are dedicated to her destruction.

The UN has established a history of anti-Israel sentiment having passed 223 resolutions condemning Israel over the past 10 years. And it reached a troubling level during Obama’s final days in office when he helped orchestrate a resolution condemning Israel for legally building so-called “settlements” in the West Bank.

Shortly after the election, Donald Trump appeared to adopt Obama’s policies toward Israel as he began to backtrack on his promises to our strongest ally in the region–despite a promise to develop the strongest platform on Israel “ever developed in the history of (America).” This was evidenced in the release of his Obama-esque statement warning Israel to stop building in the West Bank, along with cancelling his promise to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

In the aftermath of the UN apartheid report, this display of capitulation by the Trump administration is troubling, despite recent “tough talk” by UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. In fact, in light of new information provided by Conservative Review Senior, Editor Daniel Horowitz, it’s more than troubling. It could be evidence of a foreign policy disaster in the Middle East.

In his article, Horowitz provides six warning signs found in Trump’s Middle East foreign policy, including:

• This week, Trump dispatched Jason Greenblatt, his top lawyer and envoy to the Middle East, to pressure Netanyahu into halting construction, even for a city designed to house displaced Israelis who were uprooted by a very painful evacuation. As the Times of Israel is reporting, Greenblatt is now obsessing over every last neighborhood with the maniacal precision of John Kerry to prevent Israel from building even within existing “settlements.” The pressure is reportedly so strong that Netanyahu has now held off on his plans to fully annex Ma’ale Adumim, the largest suburb of Jerusalem, which has always been a “consensus” area (even to those who buy into the premise of a Palestinian state). Greenblatt later met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (whose term of office expired eight years ago!) and treated him like a peace partner.
• The inimitable Caroline Glick gives a riveting account of the sharp turn of the White House on Israel — embracing the PLO, inviting Abbas to the White House, and taking an active (almost obsessive) role in promoting a Palestinian state. It’s almost as if Trump has made it his life’s mission (or, son-in-law Jared Kushner’s mission) to ram through the “peace process” even more than Obama.
• My colleague, Jordan Schachtel has already reported that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appointed a Kerry acolyte as the Israel-Palestinian policy official in the State Department. Michael Ratney was Obama’s consul to Jerusalem who “oversaw grants to OneVoice, a leftist non-profit that President Obama allegedly used to try to unseat Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel’s 2015 election.” Ratney oversaw a program the Times of Israel said was “in effect setting up an armed Palestinian militia in the consulate.” Martin Indyk — Obama’s anti-Israel apologist — praised the appointment, tweeting that Ratney was a “valued member of Kerry’s peace team.”
• Trump decided to keep Obama’s National Security Council Adviser, Yael Lempert, for Israel policy. She accompanied Greenblatt on his trip to Israel, where he graciously met with Abbas and pressured Netanyahu on settlements. Lempert was literally Obama’s point person in the White House orchestrating his war against Israel. This decision is Orwellian.
• Talk about the fox guarding the hen-house? Sahar Nowrouzzadeh, the Iran director for Obama’s National Security Council, has been given the portfolio over the Persian Gulf region on the policy planning staff at the State Department. This individual was an essential figure in pushing through the Iran deal and has ties to Tehran.
• Defense Secretary James Mattis wanted to appoint Anne Patterson to the No. 3 position in the Pentagon. Patterson was Obama’s ambassador to Egypt, who had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and embodied John Kerry’s foreign policy. Although conservatives successfully prevented that from happening, Mattis’ motivations, along with a number of troubling statements on policy, reveal that he fundamentally doesn’t share a conservative worldview.

As I wrote yesterday, Trump is developing a strong reputation as the new Liar-in-Chief. Could his Middle East policy regarding Israel be the next lie?

By the way, all of this is occurring under the direction of Trump’s inexperienced son-in-law and Ianka’s husband, Jared Kushner, a New York liberal and charter member of the Trump kleptocracy.

 

David Leach is the owner of The Strident Conservative, your source for opinion that’s politically incorrect and always “right.” His articles can also be found on RedState.com.

His daily radio commentary is nationally syndicated with Salem Radio Network and can be heard on stations across America.