ISRAEL/PALESTINE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vow for Israel to annex parts of the West Bank would flout four decades of American policy, under both Republican and Democratic presidents. But nothing emboldened Mr. Netanyahu to take such a risk more than the support of his ally President Trump. From recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights to moving the United States Embassy to Jerusalem, Mr. Trump has given Mr. Netanyahu the political cover and legal legitimacy to embrace a position that critics say would all but extinguish the dream of a viable Palestinian state. Mr. Trump’s moves are not merely temporary gestures, which a future president or Israeli leader could reverse. They are policy changes that experts say have permanently altered the contested landscape of the Middle East, making his own stated goal of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians more unattainable than ever…The White House declined to comment on Monday [4-8-19] on Mr. Netanyahu’s latest remarks. Partly, this reflected qualms about speaking out on a delicate diplomatic issue on the eve of an Israeli election. But it also revealed the extent to which Mr. Trump has become Mr. Netanyahu’s biggest enabler.”
–Mark Landler, “In Trump, Netanyahu Sees an Ally Who Helps Him Push the Envelope,” The New York Times online, April 8, 2019