Who wouldn’t want to be part of this White House, working to make America (and Israel) great again?  And yes, to have that extraordinary feeling of being an insider, i.e., on the inside, where you can know what’s really going on.  Because the harsh reality is that we, the public, have no clue what’s really flying over there. We only know what we are meant to know, i.e., what is being ‘leaked’ and/or what the mainstream media are feeding us.

After dozens of Op-Ed articles over the many years, this might be my most consequential. Not an easy piece for me to write! As such, I would like to offer here, if I may, a couple of important notes on the US President, his approach vis-à-vis Israel, and what to expect in the Middle East as a result. My last Opinion piece dealt with the Torah view of President Trump’s 20-Point Plan, and this is the follow-up.

There is a common Hebrew phrase: ‘Hakol min hashamayim’ –meaning, everything is from Heaven, i.e., everything is Divinely ordained.  It’s not by chance that the monumental events of the past 3 weeks are occurring at this point in history. Let’s face it, we have a good man pulling the strings in the White House, thank God. Having said that, though, there are a couple of ‘buts’ regarding what might be in store, not only to keep his deal alive, but also to hold on to his much-coveted Nobel Peace Prize nominations, the continuation of the Abraham/Avraham Accords, and his ultimate intentions as US President with respect to Manifest Destiny.   

Therefore, please note the following observations regarding Trump’s approach and philosophy.  His ironclad commitment to making the ultimate deal means that he will do almost anything to have a partner on the other side that he can deal with, no matter what, no matter how bad a person he or she may be, and irrespective of what adverse effect it might have on Israel, or any other country, for that matter.

Let me be clear, though. It’s not that the President is out to appease the Arabs specifically. And it’s not that Trump sent the Vice President and his Secretary of State over here because he wants Israel to become a vassal state. For sure not! For us here in Israel, we have to keep in mind that it’s not personal. It’s just business. A challenge. A high-stakes deal where, as far as Trump is concerned, he can chalk up another thrilling, personal win. 

And perhaps most importantly, it’s another chance to be beloved by all! 

However, consider the following points: 

• The unspoken goal of every good closer is to have the other side be indebted in some way, more commonly known as owing a favor, whether through military gifts, protection, expensive items, monetary gifts, or using his power as President to do them an extended favor. Trump will then call in that favor, probably sooner rather than later.
• As far as Trump is concerned, the Ayatollahs in Iran remain alive today for the sole purpose of possibly negotiating another nuclear deal in the future. Israel is forbidden to try to assassinate them again until further notice. Khomeini was actually invited to the Egyptian Peace Summit, but refused the invitation
• The same appears to be true now regarding Hamas in Doha, Qatar. Israel is now forbidden to attack their leaders. Qatar also has the green light to set up a military base in mainland USA
• America will never send in their own troops to finish off Hamas in Gaza; instead, Trump is inhibiting Israel’s response as a favor to Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt, the exact nations that want their own military force in Gaza to (presumably) keep the peace
• Israel is “not allowed” to annex Judea and Samaria. Trump has said publicly that he will not permit it. This is a favor that Trump did on behalf of the Saudis and various other Gulf neighbors to get them on board with his peace plan
• Trump, in principle, is not against Israel giving more land for peace (remember his original ‘Deal of the Century’), which is another reason why he stopped Israel’s annexation plans at the point above
• The endgame of the current peace deal is to facilitate a Palestinian State in Gaza, the first step in effectively actualizing the Two-State solution. This is the only reason that all the Arab and Muslim states have pledged over 65 billion dollars to the restoration cause, and why Netanyahu wasn’t originally invited to the 2025 Egyptian Peace Summit in Sinai. He is no longer needed (as such) 
• Similarly, and for all intents and purposes, the upshot of Trump’s plan is that Gaza will eventually not belong to Israel anymore, even though technically Israel still retains sovereignty 

All of the points mentioned above, to mention a few, are to the detriment of Israel’s future.  Know that the unstated intent of the Arab/Muslim countries is not just to acquire a Gaza state (most likely bereft of Jews), but a state that includes Jerusalem as its capital. Period. In the long run, their goal will not change, no matter how much pressure Trump may apply. Personally, I don’t believe Trump will go so far as to subscribe to the option of dividing Jerusalem. We are safe from that for the next 3 years! My sons have been soldiers in the army, and it is a known fact that almost every house in Gaza has a picture of the Dome of the Rock in there somewhere. The Palestinians, our neighboring Arab countries, the Gulf States, and indeed, the whole Muslim world will not stop until Jerusalem, the Capital of Palestine, becomes a reality on the ground, heaven forbid. I’m afraid that this latest 20-Point Peace Plan (in the event that it really does become more concrete), is just the first step towards that goal. From what we can deduce at this juncture, the proverbial writing is on the wall. 

But what if there are material breaches in the agreement in the meantime (like Hamas has already done)? I have lived in the media and diplomacy world for almost two decades, including serving as a member of the White House Press Pool. How are all the international news channels currently reacting – will all of those pro-Palestinian channels call it out for what it is, and put pressure on Hamas to abide?  

They are all predictably silent.

To conclude, I’ll never forget President Trump’s first victory party in New York after winning the election on Nov. 7, 2016. An unforgettable evening!  I stood in shock and amazement as fellow supporters of The Donald stuck out their middle finger at the press box and boldly told the reporters covering the event to have a good life and go home!  Since then and over time, the liberal leftists and their brand of political journalism have been slowly discredited. So where does that leave us now as Israeli citizens – what conclusions should we come to on our own? 

As mentioned previously, I really am a big Trump fan, and yes, it was great to hear live (what I call) a charm offensive at the Knesset, but despite that, are we to believe that he would purposely turn on the Jewish State just to close a new ‘Deal of the Century’? I really don’t think so. He has been very good to the Jewish State, trying to make us great again as well (and keep us out of bomb shelters!), But we live in prophetic times when the unlikely may suddenly become the likely. In this day and age, none of us, even the insiders, can ascertain what will actually happen next. One thing we do know for sure, though, is that at the end of the day, everything that happens is Divine Providence, that is to say, for our own good. 

Last week I did an interview for KRM, a South Korean news agency. On the sidelines, the interviewer asked me for my take on the comprehensive peace plan that was just signed in Egypt. I responded that, practically speaking, history has shown that it’s not going to be easy to get to the second phase of the agreement, because after all, how can one expect a terrorist organization to keep its word? In addition, there are so many countries involved, each with its own agenda and timetable for Gaza, and too many cooks spoil the soup. Therefore, that would make me a bit of a pessimist. She then asked me to explain what I meant by being a pessimist. I responded, “A pessimist is an optimist with experience!” 

Regarding President Donald J. Trump, an insider would say to move forward, but with an abundance of caution. Be cautiously optimistic… 

The writer is President of Moskoff-Media, MMLC, producing award-winning films on Israel advocacy; Director of the Jewish Heritage Project-Diplomatic Initiatives; author/journalist and member of the White House Press Pool (previous administration). Moskoff is completing a new TV docu-series based on his work in politics and biblical archaeology, based on his appearances on HISTORY Channel’s “In Search Of…” and “Secrets of the Bible.”