The 26th president of the US, Teddy Roosevelt, is remembered among other things for his iconic line and philosophy – “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”
The current leader of the free world, Donald Trump, must have misread (or more likely misheard) that advice, because, at least as far as events in the Middle East are concerned, he’s speaking loudly while so far carrying a limp stick.
Just this week, he teased about life-or-death issues as if they were a promo for his old TV show The Apprentice, and he was trying to boost the ratings.
Meeting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday, he coyly said that he would soon be making “one of the most important announcements that have been made in many years about a certain subject,” and that it would be “very positive.”
“It’s not about trade, it’s about something else — but it’s going to be a truly earth-shattering and positive development for this country and for the people of this country,” he said later.
Speculation in the diplomatic community suggests that he was referring to an international aid mechanism for the Gaza Strip that he plans to announce during his Middle East trip next week.
Others speculate that it has to do with a strategic agreement with Saudi Arabia, which may or may not include Israel. Trump has been intent on bringing the Saudis into the Abraham Accords, but N12 news site reported on Wednesday that a senior American official delivered sharp criticism to Israel over its stance in the hostage negotiations and warned that the United States is prepared to finalize a regional agreement with Saudi Arabia, even without Israeli participation.
That goes hand-in-hand with Trump’s decision earlier this week to hang Israel out to dry regarding the Houthis.Trump’s Oval Office announcement on Tuesday night stated that his administration had reached an agreement with the Houthis, under which they would cease attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the US would halt its strikes against them.
The terrorists’ continued attacks on Israel were deemed outside of the agreement, as a missile launched on Wednesday toward Israel testified.
“We were completely shocked. Israel was not informed before Trump made the statement,” an Israeli official told the Post’s Amichai Stern, who added that “America First” was Trump’s election promise, and this principle appears to be applied in the Houthi agreement.
TO TOP off Trump’s disconnect with Israel, he disclosed on Wednesday, without checking with his Israeli partners, that only 21 of the presumed 24 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are still alive.
Whether one thinks that he’s the responsible one and doing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s dirty work, or that he overstepped his bounds and interfered in an internal Israeli issue, it’s a head-scratching move that fits just right into Trump’s shoot-from-the-hip approach, no matter where the shrapnel lands.
From his boasts to take control of Gaza and evict the Palestinians to his promise to return all of the hostages, Trump’s first 100 days regarding Israel have been a lot of hot air.
It’s a sorry state of affairs – as much reflective of the equally sorry state of Israel’s government – when the families of the hostages have to appeal directly to Trump to intervene for their loved ones’ release.
But it’s unclear if he has the ability, or the desire, to move forward and carry out his threats to turn Hamas and Gaza into a living hell.
Since the last ceasefire that began on January 19, and lasted 42 days, with 33 Israeli hostages and five Thai captives released, there has been no movement toward another ceasefire that would see more hostages released. It’s not even clear how much the Trump administration had to do with that agreement, with much of the legwork carried out by the Biden administration.
Although US special envoy Steve Witkoff still seems to be involved in negotiations along with Qatari and Egyptian involvement, it seems as if Trump, seeing the possibilities of a coveted “deal” becoming more remote as both Israel and Hamas dig in their heels, is losing interest.
Soundbite teasers
Giving sound-bite teasers of a monumental announcement in an environment that is so fraught with misery and anguish is not only irresponsible, it’s cruel – akin to Netanyahu announcing on a Friday last month that he would be making a major statement on Saturday night, thus keeping the hostage families in a hellish limbo (No, it wasn’t about the hostages).
If we know anything from diplomatic goings-on in the Middle East, nothing is final until it’s final. And dropping a trailer for such a vital issue can only be considered self-serving on behalf of a president who is desperate to make a deal… any deal.
The bottom line of Trump’s erratic behavior toward Israel is that, at the end of the day, he is only concerned with one thing: Donald Trump.