Trump Confidant Claims Abbas Has Been Convinced to Make Concessions

Hawks Hope Trump Will Soon Give Up on Idea of Peace

by Jason Ditz,

World Jewish Congress President Ron Lauder, a key confidant of President Trump, has been making the rounds in Israel lately to brief top politicians on the results of Trump’s talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, claiming Trump has convinced Abbas to make the sort of concessions necessary to resume the peace process.

Details on this are scant, and it’s not clear given the positions within the current far-right government in Israel what conceivable concessions Abbas could even make that might get peace talks resumed. Lauder’s confidence on the matter certainly is raising eyebrows.

And some concerns, with more than a few hawks not at all keen on Trump’s interest in the peace process, and Sheldon Adelson among the leaders in trying to get Trump’s ear on the matter, hoping to convince him that being an honest broker of peace is in conflict with his campaign pledge to be super pro-Israel.

Republican strategist Noah Pollak expressed hope that President Trump would make a “quick and undramatic” realization that there is no peace deal to be reached, and scrap the whole effort outright. Lauder, however, is among those who are still pushing Trump to try to make a deal, something he’s shown significant interest in.

http://news.antiwar.com/2017/05/07/trump-confidant-claims-abbas-has-been-convinced-to-make-concessions/