Trump Is Juggling Too Many Diplomatic Balls at Once |
The past two years of war brought death and destruction to the Middle East, but they also created remarkable openings for change in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran. Sadly, those opportunities might be squandered because of mishandling and delay by the United States, Israel and the Arab states.
“Everything is stuck,” a senior Israeli defense official told me this week. Because diplomats have failed to capitalize on the disarray of Iran and its allies, “all the fronts in the Middle East are still open,” he warned. Most of Gaza’s population is still controlled by Hamas, Lebanon hasn’t fully regained its sovereignty from Hezbollah and Iran is rebuilding its battered military.
The past two years of war brought death and destruction to the Middle East, but they also created remarkable openings for change in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran. Sadly, those opportunities might be squandered because of mishandling and delay by the United States, Israel and the Arab states.
“Everything is stuck,” a senior Israeli defense official told me this week. Because diplomats have failed to capitalize on the disarray of Iran and its allies, “all the fronts in the Middle East are still open,” he warned. Most of Gaza’s population is still controlled by Hamas, Lebanon hasn’t fully regained its sovereignty from Hezbollah and Iran is rebuilding its battered military.
President Donald Trump’s bold peace initiative ended the Israel-Gaza war and raised hopes that breakthroughs might be possible across the region. But the lack of follow-through by Washington and its partners leaves a Middle East that’s still waiting for a stable “day after.” Other than the release of all living Israeli hostages from Gaza, most of the goals of Trump’s 20-point peace plan appear stillborn.
Israel achieved some stunning successes in its bloody campaigns against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. But Robert Satloff, director of The Washington Institute, cautioned in........