(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Biden/Bibi Accords [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-05-07 “Mr. Trump’s announcement ended years of suspense over a highly anticipated peace plan that was widely criticized even before its details were known. Rather than viewing it as a serious blueprint for peace, analysts called it a political document by a president in the middle of an impeachment trial working in tandem with Mr. Netanyahu, a prime minister under criminal indictment who is about to face his third election in a year . In early February 2020, the New York Times reported that Trump released his Middle East peace plan, the Abraham Accords. You know, the one negotiated by Jared Kushner with no input from the State Department at all. “But the guests invited to the East Room, including the conservative Republican megadonor Sheldon G. Adelson and evangelical Christian leaders, greeted the plan with enthusiastic applause.” Well, it was backed by Sheldon Addison and evangelical Christian leaders. What could go wrong? Almost exactly one year later, in the very first days of the Biden Administration, a State Department spokesman indicated that the Biden Administration would seek to build on the Abraham Accords, and appeared to give the Trump Administration credit for them. Days later Blinken appeared on the Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. Blitzer asked Blinken about this strange announcement. Blinken replied “Well, first, Wolf, yes, we applauded the Abraham Accords. This is an important step forward.” Trump’s policy, one ostensibly “negotiated” by Kushner but actually formulated by Netanyahu, was now Biden’s policy. The U.S. would offer lavish inducements — tens of billions of dollars, security guarantees and military equipment — to bribe and cajole Arab states to sign on to a deal that, were it to be agreed to by Netanyahu, would have to leave the Palestinians without any hope of a state of their own. Incredibly, all of this was happening just days after McCarthy went to Mar-a-lago to kiss Trump’s ring; just days after it became apparent that Trump could well face Biden again in four years. And here was Blinken lavishly praising Trump for the Abraham Accords. * * * * * * The New York Times reported when Trump announced the Abraham Accords: Democrats were largely critical. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland sent a letter to Mr. Trump on Tuesday, signed by 11 of his colleagues, calling the proposal a “one-sided” blow to prospects of a “viable” two-state solution. “Previous presidents of both parties successfully maintained the respect of both Israelis and Palestinians for the United States’ role as a credible player in difficult negotiations. Your one-sided actions have made that impossible,” the senators wrote, calling the plan “a recipe for renewed division and conflict in the region.” Mr. Trump’s potential opponents were similarly withering, a reminder that a Democratic victory in the presidential election in November could result in a much different approach. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont said the proposal was “unacceptable” and called for an end to “the Israeli occupation.” Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts wrote that a plan lacking Palestinian involvement “isn’t diplomacy, it’s a sham.” Despite Blinken’s enthusiasm for the Abraham Accords, Biden apparently had some concerns, perhaps because of the scathing criticism of the Trump/Kushner plan from numerous congressional Democrats. Biden’s skittishness with the Abraham Accords was apparent when he declined early in his administration to appoint an official envoy for the Abraham Accords. However, by late June 2023, Biden appointed Dan Shapiro to a newly created position to “”support U.S. efforts to advance a more peaceful and interconnected region, deepen and broaden the Abraham Accords and build the Negev forum,” Blinken tweeted. It was widely reported that this appointment came amid a concerted U.S. push to normalize ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The Jerusalem Post noted in July 2023 the evolution in the Biden administrations stance with regard to the Abraham Accords: The apathy with which the Biden administration has treated the coming anniversary of the Abraham Accords reflects a tin ear," Ferziger wrote. "Letting Trump retain ownership of this breakthrough in Arab-Israeli peacemaking and not working aggressively to extend its reach is a mistake on which Republicans are sure to capitalize as they plot their return to the White House in three more years." Those words were written two years ago. Since then, the Biden administration has long since embraced the accords and "even" adopted the name Trump gave them. And now it is getting even more deeply involved by appointing Shapiro as a special Abraham Accords envoy. As the old saying goes, “You can't argue with success.” And with the US elections now just 16 months away, the Biden administration is clearly keen on mining one of the few recent successes in the region. By early September of last year, approximately one month before October 7, Thomas Friedman of the New York Times was freaking out. He cautioned that there were two possible formulations for Biden’s implementation of the Abraham Accords. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/5/7/2239411/-The-Biden-Bibi-Accords?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/