Israel has changed since Donald Trump’s last term – has he?

That de facto, cost-free annexation is exactly what many right-wing Israelis hope Trump allows. Perhaps he will. He is not a friend of the Palestinians.

But his western allies have hoped that Trump’s transactional approach could be more flexible than Joe Biden, a self-proclaimed Zionist, would ever be, especially if he wants the Saudis to join the Abraham Covenant.

Peace in the Middle East is perhaps the greatest prize in global diplomacy, because it is so elusive and so far away.

What price is Donald Trump ready to accept for a deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel? Prince Mohammed bin Salman has named it – the state of Palestine. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Palestine will never get an independent state.

Donald Trump probably won’t be able to bully Mohammed bin Salman into changing his position. MBS’s Saudi Arabia is too assertive for that, and an invitation to Riyadh for the Chinese president will make Americans nervous.

This is a time of difficult choices. President Trump will have a lot to think about when he re-enters the White House after his inauguration.

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