It hasn’t happened, has it?
Contrary to Donald Trump‘s carefully managed image as the great deal-maker and peace-bringer, his efforts with both Russia and Israel/Gaza appeared to crumble as soon as he glanced away to check on Melania.
Putin and Russia were in fact launching attacks in Ukraine on the very night a ceasefire was supposed to come into effect.
The fighting in Ukraine goes on. Trump administration officials are now talking about potentially walking away from the situation entirely if a breakthrough isn’t made in the next few days.
Meanwhile, Israel broke its own ceasefire with Hamas at first available opportunity, and began hitting Gaza even harder than before: and with a fresh round of massive Palestinian casualties to show for it.
So much for the great intervention. Putin and Netanyahu both clearly showed their disregard for the White House’s supposed efforts. Whether they were both stringing Trump along or whether some more complex game is being played, who knows?
Which is probably unsurprising, given the muddy-headedness of the Trump administration’s agendas and positions.
The Great Peace, at any rate, has not materialised.
Condemnation of Israel from the White House has been non existent. While Trump repeatedly spoke of ‘the hell’ that would be unleashed on Hamas if it broke agreements, Israel has predictably been able to resume its decimation programme without so much as a slap on the wrist.
More scores of dead children. Journalists and aid workers being targeted and murdered. Medics gunned down in cold blood. The account of the medics being point-blank executed by IDF is harrowing. The Israelis then tried to bury the evidence.
And not a word of objection from the Trump White House.
It’s no surprise really that the same Trump and Republican Party that has been so grudging about the billions of dollars invested in Ukraine’s war are somehow perfectly happy with the billions being gifted to Israel every year – not to mention the uninterrupted arms supply that is actively assisting a genocide.
No one seems to object to any of *that* billions of dollars in US taxpayer money. An example being the $8.7 billion U.S. aid package for Israel in September, which was entirely for military and weapons purposes.
Further to this, the US has resumed bombing the Houthis in Yemen, again on behalf of the Israelis.
What’s the game plan here? The Houthis haven’t been defeated in ten years worth of bombing: the Saudis gave up after seven years of decimating the poorest country in the region.
But somehow Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard and co think bombing residential buildings and killing dozens of civilians is worth high-fiving and whooping over in a group chat.
The Trump administration has also engaged in direct talks with Iran, apparently aimed at a new nuclear agreement.
This is the same Trump who tossed the pre-existing Obama-era Iran Deal in the trash, repeatedly calling it the ‘worst deal ever‘: even though it essentially prevented an Israel/Iran war by depriving Israel of the pretext for an attack.
So what’s happening now? Is this a last-ditch effort to avert a war? A genuine attempt by Trump at peace?
If so, wouldn’t leaving the previous Iran Deal in place have been the better option?
Netanyahu is still pushing the US for an attack on Iran. Netanyahu of course has been trying to drag the US into said war for years: the image of Netanyahu holding up hand-drawn pictures in the UN, claiming lran was weeks away from a nuclear bomb were so stupid that they became a meme.
Bibi has claimed they’re ‘weeks away’ from nuclear capability for years now. Obama didn’t go along with that game. It’s possible Trump is trying to step out of Netanyahu’s trap as well.
But history teaches us that Netanyahu and co will eventually get their way: especially with Washington.
Meanwhile, yet another Netanyahu visit to the White House proved just as abject as the previous one: and confirmed that Trump is still committed to ethnically cleansing Gaza and building beachfront resorts.
What could very much be happening is that Israel’s redoubled effort to flatten Gaza is facilitating the ‘Trump Gaza’ plan (which is really not different to preexisting Israeli plans, as discussed here).
Meantime the world watches on and shrugs.
Meanwhile, Israel hasn’t just resumed its bombardment of Gaza: it is still carrying out strikes in Lebanon and it is still attacking Syria, even though the Assad regime is gone.
Why is Israel still attacking Syria? The Israeli attacks in Syria immediately after the collapse of the Assad regime may have been sheer opportunism; but why is still going on?
And speaking of Syria, where has all the media coverage gone? There’s recently been massacres in Syria, which we talked about here.
Where is the Western commentary on these events? Where is the news coverage?
The Israelis are waging war on three fronts at present, in three countries: with the US and Britain handling the fourth front on their behalf (Yemen).
Meanwhile, the fighting between Russia and Ukraine drags on, in spite of all the high-profile intervention.
So much for the great peace.
There’s even been some talk now of a possible ground war in Yemen. And still a full-scale war on Iran.
Still, maybe Trump and co will come good yet? I doubt it. But one has to cling to some tiny crumb of hope.
One thing’s for sure: the arms merchants and weapons manufacturers must be partying all night every night.
To quote the 34th Rule of Acquisition (and sorry, only Star Trek fans get that reference): ‘War is good for business’.
Better yet, the great American General Smedley Butler put it best when he said simply: ‘War is a racket’.
