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So you're thinking that before Trump, everyone thought we were impartial? What with all the intelligence and military technology sharing between Israel and the US, not to mention billions in military aid funds, that we were unbiased? That's cute. At least we're not being hypocrites any more. Maybe that will give us more credibility.
Honestly, I don't know what to think about Trump's announcement. I've yet to see anyone come up with a single legitimate reason how it will lead to peace. Other the other hand, there has been no peace there ever anyway. So there's no valid reason to keep doing what we're doing and expecting different results. Ain't gonna happen.
Palestinians are victims of their own leaders who will not let them live under peace until Israel is wiped off the face of the earth. That's the issue here. So maybe it is time to try something new.
The reason I called a previous poster's post hypocritical is because he calls himself a "student of history", who says anyone who thinks the US should help Israel an Israel-Firster. Says Washington is full of Israel-firsters and "that's a fact". If you argue with him, well, see for yourself.
"At least we're not being hypocrites anymore?"
Given what the United States is supposed to represent, including some respect for human rights, Trump is making us all the more hypocritical, if that's still possible. We're going from being hypocritical to being a joke in the eyes of the rest of the modern world, a joke about as funny as a heart attack.
The Arabs are still mostly a Tribal Society - that's just a fact. A major problem with the USA & European involvement in the Mid-East & Africa has been that they insist on attempts to broker with Societies that are like European & US Societies.
As for the (totally misnamed) Israeli/Palestinian "Peace Process" -- like it or not, Mr Trump has taken the correct viewpoint, over 50 years of failed attempts with no progress except some Containment have failed.
I think he has also reviewed the tremendous amounts of MONEY we send to the Palestinians and the amount the USA sends pales to the amount the Saudis send. This is important - the Palestinians are totally dependent on the MONEY they get from "aid" - Trump has figured out how to leverage them.. The Oil Nations are struggling with Money and a youth population that is both huge and stagnant. Corruption is rampant in all their Societies and the days are fast approaching when "blame the Jews" is not going to keep the populace satisfied. They must change and they know it. Arafat died a Billionaire, Abbas in in his 80's and possibly a Billionaire, but certainly a Millionaire - meanwhile the Palestinian people have nothing. Even Hamas Leadership lives Fat & Happy - first kicked out of Lebanon (that was actually the PLO), then kicked out of Jordan, Kicked out of Syria, Kicked out of Egypt, Kicked out of Qatar and now settled in Turkey. There is a real pattern here.
I believe President Trump does have a "plan" and while he says it will be revealed in 2018 -- I think he is about at step 5-6 of Implementation of that plan.
IF we had a working Press in the USA, they would have been paying attention to what the Mid-East press has been yattering about for months. President Trump's plan involves removing the USA from the "broker" position and to put the correct "brokers" in place ...... Mid East Arab Leadership. Egypt & Saudi Arabia will lead the efforts and has already begun to do so. I heard Dennis Ross (former US Negotiator under several Presidents) say today that Mr Trump "should have given the Arab Leaders a Head's Up about what he was about to do -- I believe he did exactly that and sent Jared Kichner to deliver the 'Heads Up" last month or his 'secret' (according to Politico) trip to the Mid East - he went to Israel (where he also met with Abbas of the PA), Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia with a short stop in the UAE & Qatar. I doubt he informed Qatar, which has become an Iranian ally.
This weeks announcement kicked off the next stage. He stated publicly what everyone around the World knew to be the Reality. The Israelis have every Government Office in Jerusalem with the exception of the Defense Ministry ...... and they have had their Government offices in Jerusalem for decades. It is the Capitol of Israel is actuality, everyone is aware of that.
Always get a kick out of people who always want to give Trump credit for "a plan" when all indications are that Trump really has no plan. Or is this plan something like Trump's plan to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it? Or maybe something like the health care plan that Trump said would be better than anything we'd seen before?
We're still waiting to see these plans while all Trump's supporters continue to believe all is going according to plan. Nuts this...
And you think a resolution from the Arab League and some of these same people saying the same thing at the UNSC will make Trump take back his words for daring to utter them? Really? We have something called "Freedom of Speech" here in the US. Many of those nations don't and a few of them treat it as a crime.
Trump is not a politician nor does he have aspirations to become one. He is the common man who has stated and done what was on his mind.
And as POTUS he will have further gifts for the world in 2018.
I'd agree with most of what you say with a few exceptions, one being nobody can predict what would or wouldn't happen in different scenarios. Something could have occurred that allowed Israel to become what it is U.S. or not.
As for surviving now? I wouldn't make a bet that they'd cease to exist today if it weren't for the U.S.. There'd be a whole lot more dead people if it wasn't for the U.S. that's for certain but given the weapons Israel now has and has had for many years?
Hard to argue with "something" that could mean anything...
However, anyone who knows all that brought Israel into existence, at least the basics, can't reasonably suggest that Israel could be what Israel is today on her own, without the significant role that the British first played and then the United States, right up to present day. At a minimum you might make some sense if you described what that certain "something" might be, but I don't blame you for not wasting your time. That's an utter fantasy...
This notion there would be "a whole lot more dead people if it wasn't for the U.S." is awfully peculiar. Hard to say how many people are either killed or saved as a result of America's foreign policy, especially with regard to Israel, but the idea is to foster peace for the sake of saving innocent lives. Here is where America can and should do better. For a long time now, we've not been on the side of right here and there is no telling how many lives that has cost over these many decades of ongoing conflict, not to mention the acts of terrorism born from the same conflict.
You know, I couldn't care less what the bigoted, anti-Semitist Arabs think. They have hated the Jews since the beginning of time. Jerusalem is and always has been the Capital of Israel. Period. And the U.N. is just as anti-Semitic. We should kick the U.N. out of the United States, and withdraw from that shameless, globalist body. They do nothing but foment this hatred.
I know you couldn't care less, that would be your typical response.
But the rest of the world would like to see genuine progress toward an equitable peace for the future, not parochial cackling.
Here is where America can and should do better. For a long time now, we've not been on the side of right here and there is no telling how many lives that has cost over these many decades of ongoing conflict, not to mention the acts of terrorism born from the same conflict.
For much of the Arab world, the only “side of right” has been to wipe Israel off the face of the map.
I am glad that America chose not to be on that side.
If you're equating what the Palestinian position is to what the Indians position was I'd love to see you rationalize and prove up that argument.
No. That's not my argument. My argument or point is that whether the Palestinians are more or less sophisticated than the Israelis does not determine the right or wrong of how they are being treated. The example of the Indians, that we called "savages" in order to justify what we did to them was similarly self-serving and wrong, having nothing to do with any other similarities (or differences) between the American Indians and the Palestinians. Sorry, but that argument you want me to prove up is a foolish one and not mine.
If it were up to the Palestinians, East Jerusalem would be all the land East of the Mediterranean.
And if it were up to Israel, west Jerusalem would be all the land west of the Jordan river.
What point is their in making that argument? ... it's silly. We already know both parties would rather see the other disappear. The only hope for peace and stability is compromise based upon a mutual agreement between the two hostile parties.
No mutual compromise, no peace, it's that simple.
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At least we're not being hypocrites any more. Maybe that will give us more credibility. 
