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Israel & the Deal of the Century: The Role of Benjamin Netanyahu, 2009-2020
Abstract
This paper will deal with what might be conceived as the death of American diplomacy toward an Israeli-Palestinian politically negotiated settlement. More specifically, the paper will focus on the role of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in facilitating the proposal made by President Donald Trump, arguing that Netanyahu’s political career—his personality, ideology, and policies—has led to the Deal of the Century, particularly when he was able to work toward that deal with a personal political friend and an ideological twin. Henry Kissinger famously stated that Israel does not have foreign policy, only domestic policy. Under Bibi, Israel does not have even domestic policy. The one and only policy it has is designed to keep its beleaguered prime minister out of the courts and eventually out of prison. The Deal of the Century, a gamble with no real future, might achieve this goal. To make the situation even more bizarre, also the United States has no real foreign policy in the Middle East, especially toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its resolution. The initiatives taken by the US—transferring the American embassy to Jerusalem, withdrawing from the Iran deal, recognizing Israeli annexation goals in the Golan Heights and the Jordan Valley, and finally formulating the Deal of the Century—are designed to maximize Trump electoral chances and saving Netanyahu’s political career. Since this is a panel on “Israel in the Middle East: New Horizons?”, the focus will be on Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Likud-led government.
Discipline
International Relations/Affairs
Geographic Area
None
Sub Area
None