Trump Is Shooting Himself in the Foot on US Diplomacy in the Middle East

The American initiative is a gift to the Iran-Syria axis and a betrayal of Washington’s allies in the region.

Donald Trump is a magician of diplomacy. With only a few words, he manages to bring together the worst enemies, isolate the most powerful country in the world and pass the worst persecutors off as victims of a terrible injustice. Who else could actually succeed by fundamentally rejecting the policy of his own country, in uniting the Syrian regime and the opposition, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and Egypt against his decision? Who else could allow a regime accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity to pose as a paragon of international law?

By declaring on Thursday that it was time to recognize the Golan Heights − captured in 1967 and then annexed in 1981 − as Israeli territory, the American president confirmed that, since his arrival at the White House, his Middle East policy has been based on a single constant: to align itself, regardless of the issue, with the Israeli position. Even if it means flouting international law again − Resolution 242 of the Security Council defines the Golan Heights as an occupied territory. And especially if it allows him to lend a hand to his “friend” Benjamin Netanyahu in the middle of his bid for re-election. “Trump’s timing was clearly politically motivated, with an eye to the Israeli elections. He was, however, likely to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights at some point. The timing is less important than the strategic consequences of this announcement,”* Daniel Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, told L’Orient Le Jour.

Betrayal

With such a decision − assuming it takes effect − Trump is generally shooting American diplomacy in the foot, particularly as it relates to the Middle East. The Golan Heights issue was at the center of peace negotiations between Israel and Syria in the 1990s. The Syrian war, which began in 2011, put an end to this peace process, even more so with Iran and Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria, which was meant to create a second front against Israel in southern Syria. But in announcing his willingness to recognize the annexation of the Golan Heights, Trump is burying this peace process and prioritizing power politics over international law. It’s a message to the whole region that may not only damage American credibility, but above all, complicate the Trump administration’s plans for the Middle East.

And for good reason: The American initiative is a gift to the Iran-Syria axis and a betrayal of its best regional allies. The American president is giving credibility to Iran’s anti-imperialist rhetoric, the Syrian regime and Hezbollah, which can now position themselves as resistance fighters against American-Israeli aggression and as defenders of the Arab cause. In its reaction, the Syrian regime was not mistaken in emphasizing the nature of the Golan Heights as at once Arab and Syrian, as if to reach out to the Arab faction from which it has been excluded. Washington’s Arab allies were forced to distance themselves from this decision and to draw closer, at least in their speeches, to the Bashar Assad regime. Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf monarchies recalled that the Golan Heights is an Arab and Syrian land occupied by Israel. “Trump is promoting a discursive unity between Arab countries on this issue,”* Thomas Pierret, Research Fellow at CNRS (Paris) and Iremam (Aix-en-Provence), explained to L’Orient Le Jour.

The decision could also complicate American plans for a major reconciliation between the Arab Gulf countries and Israel. “The Arab states that were moving toward normalization with Israel could slow their process,”* Shapiro confirmed.

After recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state, this new move could also compromise the Trump administration’s famous Middle East peace plan. How can the Palestinians engage in negotiations under the arbitration of a party that recognizes the legality of a territorial annexation, when they themselves are under Israeli occupation in the West Bank? “It’s possible that Israelis in favor of the annexation of all (or part) of the West Bank will feel emboldened and step up the pressure after the Israeli elections. And if Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been indicted, depends on their support for survival, he can get the better of his opposition on the issue of annexation. This would spell the end of the two-state solution and seriously jeopardize Israel’s ability to remain both a Jewish state and a democratic state,” says Shapiro.

*Editor’s note: Although accurately translated, this quote could not be verified.