A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
“Oh Little Town of Bethlehem” takes on special significance this year now that President Trump has acknowledged that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. Thank goodness we have a President who has the guts to carry out his electoral promises, unlike his spineless three most recent predecessors.
This is a powerful movethat also signifies the reduced influence of Palestinians and many Arab and European allies on US policy towards Israel. It is a move too that has been met with universal condemnation from the likes of the pusillanimous European Union and the rest of the usual suspects.
The charge is that it will do irreparable harm to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Not so.
It is a common misconception that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a reason for Middle Eastern instability. Since the creation of Israel in 1947, the Arab nations have never really been interested in what happens to the Palestinians but only in using them as a lever against Israel.
Since 9/11 the geopolitical situation in the Middle East has changed considerably. Iraq has become an Iranian satellite state ever since Mr Obama withdrew American forces. His nuclear deal with Iran has left Saudi Arabia increasingly isolated, resulting in its far more aggressive foreign policy. Stalemated in its war on Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and facing Iranian (and Russian) domination of Syria, Saudi Arabia is engaging in the latest episode of the millennium-old Sunni-Shia religious conflict.
Interestingly, Hamas, the terrorist organisation that rules the Gaza Strip, has allied itself with Iran. Hamas is also closely allied with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group that dominates Lebanon.
Could it be that faced with all these existential threats to their security and their growing disaffection with the Palestinians for realigning with Shiite Iran, the Arab nations might force their clients to agree to a deal with Israel? Now wouldn’t that be a triumph for President Trump!
