The one deal Trump may not be able to make
A recent article cited 79% of American Jews lacking confidence in Trump’s handling of Iran. It’s probably fair to say that they are not alone in their concerns.
Because it is more than likely that a very large percentage of Israelis feel the same way, especially given the much shorter distance between the two countries. When you couple that with their long-held desire to attack us mercilessly, it is, indeed, a cause for great worry.
Now that it’s been said that Iran will possess nuclear capabilities, just within a matter of weeks, Israel has been under greater pressure to act in a manner that will either prevent the mullahs from reaching their goal or significantly hurt their capabilities so that their aspirations will not come to fruition.
To that end, Israel had already planned a set time to execute a military operation which would have accomplished that goal. On target to hit the world’s bullies, they were stopped dead in their tracks when Trump deliberately pulled the plug on the plan by strategically leaking the strike that would soon take place.
According to the New York Times. the plan, was said to “involve an Israeli commando force, operating in the underground nuclear sites, in tandem with a widespread bombing cooperation.” Wanting to implement his own last-ditch effort through diplomatic measures, President Trump chose to nix the Israeli effort scheduled for May by openly revealing what he knew about it, thereby ruining the element of surprise.
It is that decision which seems to be responsible for the lack of trust and confidence which is being felt by both Americans and Israelis who have serious doubts as to the credibility or reliability of Iranians to agree to any plan that would keep them from attaining their greatest achievement – the ability to constantly threaten, harass and bully Israel, the U.S. and any other country whom they see as posing any kind of a danger to the world dominance they would like to wield over everyone. Nuclear weaponry would give them that edge!
If it’s true that we are in the last days before Iran is able to terrorize the world, for fear of being nuked out of existence, then there is no time to waste in stopping this tyrannical regime. As much as Trump revels in making deals, which no one else can pull off, it seems to be the wrong time to conduct any negotiations with a country whose fondest wish is to annihilate both Israel and the U.S. If we all know that is their intent, why would anyone believe that they are trustworthy enough to keep their word?
They wouldn’t! One illustration of this occurred in February when Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it would no longer permit short-notice inspections, monitoring of centrifuge manufacturing facilities and advanced electronic monitoring of its nuclear sites. Why not? Does that sound like the actions of someone with nothing to hide?
So, if there is no transparency and no accountability, why would Trump enter into negotiations with them, knowing, from the start, that they are operating from a level of secrecy and non-cooperation? There is so much to lose once they accomplish their mission, because from that point on, they will be in the driver’s seat, able to control anyone they want.
In this case, Trump’s legendary dealmaking simply may not work, because there are just some deals that cannot be made.
Iran falls into such a category, not only because its leaders are dedicated to the eradication of the West, but because they are set on obtaining full control of other nations. Once they do that, the next goal is the promotion of their extremist type of Islam, demanding total subservience to the mullahs who have smothered their own people for more than 45 years.
But, even knowing all this, Trump seems to believe that he can pull off a last-minute mediation that will lead to an agreement where they abandon their nuclear ambitions, similar to what happened in 2003 when Libya gave up their own nuclear program after undergoing a huge pressure campaign from the U.S.
Somehow, this feels different. Maybe it’s because Libya didn’t pose the same type of threat as Iran, but whatever the reason, there is little hope that Iran can be contained in the same way.
Mark Lavie, author of the book, Why Are We Still Afraid? Is all too familiar with Middle East events, which he has been covering since 1972. He believes that “Iran is probably engaging with the U.S. to buy time to continue its nuclear development program, get out from under sanctions and rebuild its proxy terror network destroyed by Israel over the past year and a half.”
Perhaps this is why he believes that “Israel should take advantage of the opportunity of a weak Iran, bereft of its air defenses and terrorist proxies and bomb the daylights out of Iran’s nuclear program.”
So now the question is how long will Trump give Iran before he comes to the conclusion that the clock has run out, and all that’s happening is that they are just stringing him along, buying the time they need to finish the job that is nearly done? This is becoming a very high-stakes game where time is of the essence and if something is not done – with or without the U.S., the world will never be the same again.
Trump’s aspiration of a peaceful Middle East is laudable, but highly improbable, given the maniacal actors who are involved. Their value system is worlds apart from that of West. Unlike civilized societies, they have no respect for humanity or regard for freedom and individual choice. Sadly, an entire generation has grown up in Iran without ever having tasted the blessing of true liberty, and this is the type of world the leaders of Iran want for everyone.
Trump may know this on an intellectual level. He may even know it on a heart level. But the depth of deception to which they are capable is something which could easily become the impediment to the deal of the century for which Trump longs to pull off.
There is an old adage – never make a bargain with the devil, and, in the case of Iran, it seems to be a warning that would be worth heeding!
A former Jerusalem elementary and middle-school principal who made Aliyah in 1993 and became a member of Kibbutz Reim but now lives in the center of the country with her husband. She is the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, based on the principles from the book of Proverbs - available on Amazon.
