• Home
  • Subscribe
  • Donate to Tikun Olam
  • Comment Rules
  • Contact
  • About

Tikun Olam תיקון עולם

Breaking news on the Israeli national security state

Where Deals of the Century Go to Die

June 4, 2019 by Richard Silverstein 4 Comments

53 shares
  • Twitter
  • Facebook41
  • Email
  • Reddit12
  • Buffer

Jared Kushner on why the Palestinians would accept his Middle East peace plan:

“I’m not here to be trusted…They’re gonna judge it based on the facts and then make a determination. Do they think this will allow them to have a pathway to a better life or not?” @DCTVny @HBODocs pic.twitter.com/TVISoMmDBc

— Axios (@axios) June 3, 2019

I don’t know what Jared Kushner was thinking when he agreed to do the Vice interview that aired yesterday.  Not only should he stay away from media interviews, he should stay away from anything that isn’t building management.  But alas, he’s stuck his nose into the Israel-Palestine conflict and, as always, the ‘natives’ are the ones who will suffer for his impudence in thinking he has anything worthwhile to offer on the subject.

Jared looks like he has a broomstick stuck up his a**

Though there are many things in the interview which would sate the appetite for a Feast of Fools, Kushner’s comments on his deal of the century were especially jaw-dropping.  Among them was this pearl:

Asked whether he believed the Palestinians were capable of governing themselves without Israeli interference, Kushner said: “That’s a very good question. That’s one that we’ll have to see. The hope is that they, over time, will become capable of governing.”

Ah, the white man’s burden of that response is stunning.  Israel is a dysfunctional, corrupt country led by right-wing fascists and yet he calls Palestine ungovernable!  According to whose standards?  Those of an Orthodox Jew whose family foundation have given tens of thousands to support settlements built on land stolen from those ungovernable Palestinians??

The son-in-law followed with this gem:

Asked whether he understood why the Palestinians might not trust him, Kushner said: “I’m not here to be trusted…

I read a critique of the interview in which the writer said Kushner was spectacularly unprepared for the questions asked. In this case, that’s absolutely right.  If the interviewer had asked him whether the Palestinians liked him, he might conceivably responding by saying he was there to be liked.  That at least would have made some sense.

But his actual answer was mind-numbingly stupid.  Even someone with no negotiating experience would know you can’t mediate a conflict without the trust of both sides. Without that, you might as well give up before you start.  Of course, it’s entirely possible that Kushner and Trump expect this outcome and once it is sealed in cement they will commence with a truly draconian plan recognizing Israeli annexation of the West Bank, including all of its illegal settlements; along with provisions which would deprive the Palestinians there of anything but a limited set of rights.

As an activist, I would actually welcome this outcome because it would force the world to see Israel for the apartheid state it is.  There will be no more grays, only stark black and white.  This would make it even easier for BDS to take hold and compel nations and international bodies to concede Israel is a rogue state which must be reined in before it does incalculable damage to the rest of the region and the world.

I suppose beating up on Jared Kushner is so easy that people are bored with it.  It’s like shooting fish in a barrel, having such an easy, and stupid target.  That might be true, except for the fact that the Boy Wonder has the fate of millions of Israelis and Palestinians in his hands.  When he fails, pressure will rise on both sides to resort to even more violence to protest the suffocating status quo.

Thank God for Pompeo’s Candor

I never thought I would praise Mike Pompeo for anything.  But a leaked account of a private speech he gave to the Conference of President’s of Major Jewish Organizations revealed some badly needed candor concering the prospects for the deal of the century.  And they are: none.  There are no prospects.  Even Mike says so.  So you know it’s true since you have it from the secretary of state’s mouth:

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a sobering assessment of the prospects of the Trump administration’s long-awaited Middle East peace plan in a closed-door meeting with Jewish leaders, saying “one might argue” that the plan is “unexecutable” and it might not “gain traction.”

…“It may be rejected. Could be in the end, folks will say, ‘It’s not particularly original, it doesn’t particularly work for me,’ that is, ‘it’s got two good things and nine bad things, I’m out,’

…“I get why people think this is going to be a deal that only the Israelis could love,” he said. “I understand the perception of that. I hope everyone will just give the space to listen and let it settle in a little bit.”

What’s especially dumb about these statements is that Pompeo already knows that the Palestinians don’t have the patience to “give the space” or “let it settle in a little bit.”  There is no deal without a Palestinian second party.   One cannot be imposed by fellow Arab states, as the Trump circle appears to believe.  They’ve laid all their bets on a terrible hand.

But at least Pompeo has the decency not to lie to the faces of these Jewish leaders.  That being said, he also knows that most of the Jewish communal elite in that room never believed a peace deal was possible in the first place.  They believe the Palestinians are a lost cause.  They don’t believe in a two state solution, no matter what they may say publicly.  They favor the status quo since that favors Israel.  So in a sense, Pompeo was telling many of them either what they wanted to hear or confirming the outcome they already expected.

Richard Silverstein
Website | + posts

Silverstein has published Tikun Olam since 2003, It exposes the secrets of the Israeli national security state. He lives in Seattle, but his heart is in the east. He publishes regularly at Middle East Eye, the New Arab, and Jacobin Magazine. His work has also appeared in Al Jazeera English, The Nation, Truthout and other outlets.

  • Richard Silverstein
    https://www.richardsilverstein.com/author/to487j/
    Republicans Expel Ilhan Omar With False Anti-Semitism Charges
  • Richard Silverstein
    https://www.richardsilverstein.com/author/to487j/
    Israeli Transphobia: Education Minister Bars 8 Year Old Student from Orthodox School
  • Richard Silverstein
    https://www.richardsilverstein.com/author/to487j/
    Israeli News Anchor and Netanyahu Pitbull Insults Blinken
  • Richard Silverstein
    https://www.richardsilverstein.com/author/to487j/
    Terror, Religion and Politics in Israel: a Toxic Brew

Related

  • Israeli WeWork Founder, Adam Neumann, Led Corporate Cult, Helped Produce Kushner Middle East Peace Video
  • November 26, 2019
  • In "Jews & Judaism"
  • BREAKING: Kushner Met Secretly with Israeli and Arab intelligence Chiefs, Including PA, to Roll Out Peace Plan
  • June 30, 2018
  • In "Mideast Peace"
  • Opera Bouffe: Trump’s Middle East Deal of the Century
  • June 24, 2018
  • In "Mideast Peace"

Filed Under: Mideast Peace Tagged With: israeli settlements, jared kushner, Mideast Peace, palestinians, west-bank

Comments

  1. Deb Kapell says

    June 4, 2019 at 2:30 PM

    He’s not too good at building management either.

    Reply
  2. Imre Tihanyi says

    June 4, 2019 at 9:58 PM

    Jared is but a, ‘Guppy’, trying to swim in the, muddled, ‘Shark’ infested waters of the Middle East. He is being used to gain more time, confuse the world about the ‘real goals’ of the Zionists; the ETHNIC CLEANSING, of PALESTINE!! PEACE! SALAM! SHALOM!

    Reply
  3. Ernesto Che says

    June 12, 2019 at 3:10 AM

    A good analysis, Richard. Thanks and keep up the good work.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Donate via Mightycause

Donate via Paypal

Recent Posts

  • Republicans Expel Ilhan Omar With False Anti-Semitism Charges
  • Israeli Transphobia: Education Minister Bars 8 Year Old Student from Orthodox School
  • Israeli News Anchor and Netanyahu Pitbull Insults Blinken
  • Terror, Religion and Politics in Israel: a Toxic Brew
  • Cycle of Blood: Jerusalem Attacker’s Palestinian Grandfather, Murdered by Jewish Terrorist

Search

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Reddit

Categories

Archives

Pages

  • Photo Gallery
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Publications (author page)

  • Middle East Eye
  • The Nation Magazine
  • Al Jazeera
  • Jacobin
  • New Arab
  • Comment is Free
  • Mint Press News
  • Truthout
  • Seattle Times

Mideast Peace

  • Penjihad's Blog
  • The New Arab
  • Occupation Magazine
  • Palestine-Israel Journal
  • Amram
  • Shomrim
  • Middle East Eye
  • Rebuilding Alliance
  • Balian Ceramics
  • Just Vision

Progressive Media

  • Contrary Perspective
  • Canadian Dimension
  • Vashti Media
  • Challenging Christian Zionism
  • Global Voices
  • Jewish Voice for Labour
  • Scheer Post

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Tikun Olam is fiscally sponsored by Media Alliance, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Be a Mensch: Support Tikun Olam!

Thanks for visiting Tikun Olam. It breaks exclusive stories on Israel-Palestine, often not yet published anywhere, including Israel. Please subscribe to new posts–and tell all your friends!

Support my unique work with a tax-deductible donation to Media Alliance, my fiscal sponsor.