The White House's recent contention that the existing Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are not an impediment to peace should, it would seem, allay the concerns of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he licks his wounds after the forcible evacuation of Israeli settlers Feb. 1-2 from the illegal West Bank outpost of Amona. After all, that is exactly what Netanyahu has been insisting for years about the settlements. Now, finally, there is a White House occupant after his own heart — a real estate mogul who doesn’t understand how a construction project can be a bad thing.
Like Netanyahu, President Donald Trump is apparently not bothered by the reality that some 2.5 million Muslims have been living for 50 years under a discriminatory occupation. Netanyahu’s problem, however, is that right-wingers, especially those involved in real estate, including Trump, have a red line that must not be crossed under any circumstances: appropriation of someone else’s property. This is the argument that the Israeli left can and should make in the Trump era for pursuing a diplomatic arrangement with the Palestinians.
