T. Belman. You will remember that a month ago Greenblatt spent 5 days talking with Abbas, Abdullah, Israel and others. It is clear that intense pressure was applied to Abbas and that he agreed to make concessions. His warm welcome at the White House was due to his willingness to make concessions. This is why Trump has shown optimism at the prospects. No doubt pressure was also applied by Arab rulers who say that they want to follow the lead of the PA. It is because of this progress that a ME conference is being set up.
I just noticed that this headline is misleading. The article gives the following quotes: “Trump is very optimistic that he can renew the peace process,” one of the politicians told The Jerusalem Post after speaking to Lauder. “Lauder understands from Trump that he believes Abbas can be convinced by him and Arab leaders to come back to the table and make concessions.” That’s a lot different than saying Abbas made concessions. But it is hard to imagine that Trump would be so confidant if he was speculating. Even so Trump thinks he has enough to renew the peace process not solve the conflict.
Behind the scenes at the conference, WJC president Ron Lauder briefed ministers Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked and Ofir Akunis.
BY GIL HOFFMAN, JPOST MAY 7, 2017 23:
President Donald Trump has succeeded in persuading Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas to make the kind of concessions that will enable the diplomatic process to move forward, World Jewish Congress President Ron Lauder told Israeli politicians at The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference in New York.
Lauder is the Jewish leader closest to Trump: their families have been friends for decades; he has free access to the president; and he has advised him on how to advance diplomatic initiatives in the Middle East. He also has built up ties with Arab leaders for decades and was Netanyahu’s unofficial envoy to Syria in the latter’s first term as prime minister.
Behind the scenes at the conference, Lauder briefed ministers Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked and Ofir Akunis, as well as opposition leader Isaac Herzog on his impressions from talking to Trump about how to solve the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.
“Trump is very optimistic that he can renew the peace process,” one of the politicians told The Jerusalem Post after speaking to Lauder. “Lauder understands from Trump that he believes Abbas can be convinced by him and Arab leaders to come back to the table and make concessions.”
Bennett, Shaked and Akunis, in their speeches at the conference, emphasized their opposition to a Palestinian state and continually denigrated the Palestinian Authority and Abbas.
Ahead of his visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority later this month, Trump will make his first foreign stop as president in Saudi Arabia. The visit is intended to show that Trump respects the Muslim world and to seek Saudi help in advancing a regional approach to solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Trump hosted Abbas at the White House last week and has met recently with the leaders of Egypt and Jordan. The politicians who spoke with Lauder said Trump was counting on the Arab leaders to add to his own pressure on Abbas to concede.
Herzog revealed at the conference that he had offered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a parliamentary safety net for concessions in a peace process led by Trump.
Interviewed on stage by Post Editor-in-Chief Yaakov Katz, Herzog praised Trump while questioning Netanyahu’s goals on the Palestinian issue.
“So far, Trump’s peace efforts have been impeccable,” Herzog said. “We know what Trump wants. What Netanyahu wants, no one knows. I have grave doubts about Bibi’s intentions.
If he wants peace, he will enjoy political support even from my camp. But if he opts for what Bibi usually wants, he will find us a fierce opposition and we will replace him as soon as possible.”
Herzog said the only way to bring about a change in power in Israel is to form a strong centrist bloc with other centrist movements. He invited former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon to join such a bloc, along with fellow former IDF chiefs Ehud Barak, Benny Gantz and Gabi Ashkenazi; rebel Yisrael Beytenu MK Orly Levy-Abecassis; and MKs in Kulanu.
“Together, we can present a clear, centrist vision for Israel,” Herzog said.
Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On said she disagrees with Herzog, calling Ya’alon too right-wing to lead a centrist bloc of parties that would challenge Netanyahu.
Edgar G. Said:
It’s that,too, though it’s also a concession. Now, Abbas must play for time, and wait Trump out the way BB waited Obama out. Thing is, time is on Israel’s side.
@ Birdalone:
It is.
Abbas said no more unilateralism; is that not a concession?
Plus, Abbas rehearsed by meeting al-Sisi and Abdullah II, several times each. before the WH meet. Perhaps there was some tough love, especially from al-Sisi.
I do think Lauder should have stayed out of the limelight on this, but, you never know.
The only concession I see is that Israel just passed two landmark laws, the normalization law and the Jewish statehood law, and the mobs don’t seem to be howling. Would this have happened under Obama? Has Abbas said anything? Certainly not Trump? The UN? The EU? Anybody? This is big. This silence is bigger than anything anybody could say. Unless, I miss my mark: Bravo Trump. Bravo, Bennett, Shaked.
Trump will soon or later face the notion of taqiyya.
Lauder is above it all, head in the clouds. typical rich man, he doesn’t have to live with the consequence of his actions and influence.
@ Ted Belman:
xx
Yes, I questioned this myself, wondering if it was only a semanic exercise, since dozens of previous attempts “convinced” Abbas, but nothing ever changed in his stated basic demands. We know of his ULTIMATE demands well, from the thousands of murders of innocents by their salaried terrorists. That’s plain enough for everyone not blind deaf and dumb.
Even if Abbas were first to offer concessions, what worth are they considering Abbas’ persistent life-long behaviour, and Trump’s optimism as “The Great Salesman”. “Offering”… is strictly words on paper after arduous tussles, and action on the ground is nil.
Abbas doen’t need “persuasion” or “pressure” from the other Arab States, presumably his allies…..since their backing is more “honoured in the breach than in the observance”…and they would all breathe sighs of relief if Abbas and his thugs disappeared from the planet
What real concessions could he give, assuming that the toxic inculcation of his followers would allow it. He and his henchmen have no right to be where they are. They own none of it, they are breaking REAL International Law, which is obfuscated and literally ignored, yet will need to be addressed eventually.
A 10 cent dictator, hanging on by his teeth for the past 9-10 years to his unelected office, who would crumble to dust if the Israel withdrew support.
The whole thing has been allowed to get into such a tangled mess that the only solution I see is the old Gordian Knot treatment, then a brush and strong bristled broom to set about “draining the swamp” long emitting noxious gas in YESHA.
Seems more like another opportunistic PR demonstration of how the “Art of the Deal” works..
What concessions? When will American useful idiots stop trying to make a tiger into a housecat? Abbas already refused to stop paying for slaying – he announced today he will not stop paying murderers of Jews. That is kind of crucial to make peace, ya know. There are so many reasons why this constant chasing of the Arabs to beg them to negotiate is sickening. Muslims do not negotiate, they demand. They do not make concessions because that would demean their “honor”. Their honor is more important than life and they will murder their own family to keep their honor. They will lie to keep the world funding coming in so they can build terror tunnels and mansions for themselves while their citizens have no water and no electricity, unless Israel provides it. The world needs to imprison these criminals rather than honor them with diplomatic treatment. They will never become housetrained pussycats no matter how much cream you give them.
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Regarding this article, I more-or-less agree with Belman: It is completely fuzzy and merely inserts some dumb-reporter filter between us and the totally meaningless, political statements uttered by politians and their appointees; it seems much more likely to me that the reporter either misquoted them or simply made up the quotes.
Aside from Lauders’s comment, my analysis is all speculation. It bothers me though that Lauder said Trump convinced him to make concessions rather than Abbas made concessions due to Trump’s pressure.
More of the theater of the absurd. What concessions has Abbas agreed to? The only concession that should be asked of the Palestinians is to stop killing Jews. But that has never occurred to idiots like Lauder.
sad I know David,Abbas speaks with a forked tongue, about time the west came back from cuckoo land
lauder has always been numero uno for a 2 state terror state on JEWISH land. as pres. of The World Jewish Congress he and they have endorsed a two-state solution.