Two Trump “peace plans” shatter in a week

DONALD TRUMP has been left with egg on his face after two of his peace plans were torn up within days of each other. Iran has rejected the Memorandum of Understanding, and Israel has now rejected Trump’s Middle East Plan for Gaz.

Sadly – tragically – Trump is not a man who is likely to be stopped by egg. Bluntly, he, and his movement, will have to be stopped by voters – and that will only happen if the one federation-wide opposition party, the Democrats, can get their act together.

Iran
Trump, working with Israel, launched an attack on Iran on 28th February this year. The aim of the attack has shifted around, but it included stopping Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons (and, sometimes, ballistic missiles); and, sometimes, regime change – neither of which have materialised. Trump kept announcing that a “deal” was nigh, but all that emerged was a Memorandum of Understanding, which was little more than an agreement to end hostilities and carry on talking. It lasted days.

The US attack has seen Iran close the Strait of Hormuz, having a negative impact on world trade and caused several countries to pressure Trump to end the war so that the Strait can be re-opened. Iran is now talking to Oman about sharing control of the Strait – but it has now come up with six demands which it wants the USA to meet before the Strait opens again.

Iran’s demands include the USA stopping military attacks on Iran; removing its blockade of Iranian ports; releasing Iran’s frozen assets; compensating Iran for the USA breaking the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding.

Gaza
Trump devised a “15-point plan for Gaza” and hailed it as a victory. It was essentially a roadmap of wishful thinking, describing steps that would have to be taken to end the Israel/Gaza conflict. It included steps such as Israel withdrawing from Gaza and Hamas disarming – and even set up a couple of US-dominated international bodies which were supposed to implement the Plan.

This was an advance from Trump’s previous plan, which had been to work with Israel on turning Gaza into a giant tourist resort. However, Israel flouted the plan from the start – continuing air strikes, restricting the amount of aid it let in. Then there was a positive sign: Hamas agreed to disarm, contingent upon Israel withdrawing from Gaza. Their offer had the effect of smoking out Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was now announced that he will not pull troops out of Gaza until Hamas has disarmed. He said very emphatically, after a Cabinet meeting on Sunday, that, “Israel rejects the 15-point document.”
There are elections to the Knesset (Parliament) on 27th October, and his desire to win has doubtless inspired Netanyahu’s statement – but removing Palestinians from Gaza – and the West Bank – still has strong support in Israel. Trump’s posturing has failed to stop the conflict. Unless other countries can step in to the peace process, things can only get worse.

Trump has not brought peace to Iran or Palestine – not least because he keeps bombing them after ceasefires have been agreed, as if an agreed ceasefire did not apply to him. Other countries now need to stop appeasing him and to step in and find a way out of both conflicts. This would be all the easier if US Democrats could support this approach.

●Read more about it:
Trump ceasefire deal goes up in flames
Trump clueless as ceasefires break around him