'Deal of the century' doomed by delusions
William J. Burns is president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a former deputy secretary of state and the author of “The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for Its Renewal.”
May 7 at 3:34 PM
... If President Trump’s “ deal of the century” is launched as promised in the coming weeks, against the backdrop of Gaza violence in recent days, it will likely be .. a eulogy for the two-state solution. In keeping with his disdain for conventional wisdom and his bent for disruption, Trump might bury what is still the only viable plan of action for Israelis and Palestinians, without offering anything resembling a workable substitute.
... The administration has effectively abandoned dialogue with the Palestinian leadership and marginalized Palestinian concerns, embracing instead the agenda of the Israeli right. That can be seen in moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem; closing the East Jerusalem consulate charged with engaging Palestinians; sharply reducing lifesaving assistance programs; condoning settlement expansion; recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and hinting that the administration is prepared to do the same in the West Bank.
In 3½ decades of government service, I never saw an American president concede so much, so soon, for so little ...
The Middle East remains the land of bad policy options for the United States. But there is a difference between having bad options and making bad choices. The illusions of the “deal of the century” seem only partly born of arrogance and the magical properties of fresh thinking. There is also an element that is purposeful and willful, apparently designed to make it impossible to resurrect hopes for two states for two peoples. That is the riskiest proposition of all.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/trumps-deal-of-the-century-for-arab-israeli-peace-is-doomed-by-delusions/2019/05/07/451d82b2-70d5-11e9-9eb4-0828f5389013_story.html?utm_term=.e86c62084de0