At the time Iraq was being invaded, then-U.S. President George W. Bush and then-Israel President Ariel Sharon’s compliance was greatly discussed. The pro-Israel Neocon hawks played a role in this compliance relationship. This relationship was mentioned in the U.S. press with the statement, “For the first time, the U.S. administration and the Likud government in Israel are following almost identical policies.” There were even those who described the U.S.’s Middle East policy during that period as the “Bush-Sharon doctrine.” It was clear as day that the invasion of Iraq, which corresponded to no interests of the American public, served Israel alone.
Current U.S. President Donald Trump has always strongly criticized Bush and the Neocons. According to Trump, the U.S.’s wars in the Middle East were “stupid wars,” and they had cost Americans a lot. However, eventually Trump also came to take the same position as Likud and Netanyahu. Trump appointed John Bolton, one of the Neocons that had Bush invade Iraq based on false claims, as the head of the National Security Council. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made pro-Israel Neocon Elliot Abrams, who was also in the Bush administration, Venezuela Special Representative. Both Pompeo and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence are among the Christian-Zionists that have Trump depending on Likud.
Trump fulfilled Netanyahu’s every request, but the American public gained nothing. This relationship mechanism on which the “Israeli lobby” and “Christian Zionists” are effective, leads to greater losses for tax payers. The billions of dollars that are supposed to be expended on needy Americans, are instead being poured to Israel. What lobby can provide such a great profit for its customers?
Netanyahu, who officially faced corruption accusations, is preparing for snap elections on April 9. Once again, Netanyahu received his kiss of life from Trump. Trump declared that it is time for Israel's annexation of "Golan Heights," which has been under occupation for 52 years, to be recognized. This is what the Israeli lobby was after anyway. Senators Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton introduced a resolution encouraging Golan's annexation to the House of Foreign Affairs Committee in December 2018. Meanwhile, on March 11, Senator Lindsey Graham posed for a photograph on Golan Heights together with Netanyahu. Graham said that conditions are suitable for the U.S. to recognize the annexing.
Pompeo's Department of State mentioned Golan Heights in official texts as "The area under Israeli control." Previously, the passage read, "Golan Heights, which is under the occupation of Israel," Pompeo, who was recently in Israel, paid a visit to the "Wailing Wall" in Jerusalem together with Netanyahu. In May 2017, Trump had refused the offer to visit the "Wailing Wall" accompanied by Netanyahu. According to Israelis, it was then U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis who had convinced Trump to behave in such a way. And because of this, the Israeli lobby marked Mattis.
As the "international community" did not consider Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem legitimate, foreign statesmen used to visit the "Wailing Wall" without Israeli authorities accompanying them. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence followed in Trump's footsteps, and in January 2018, he paid his visit to the "Wailing Wall" without any Israeli officials by his side. The U.S.'s Israeli Ambassador David Friedman, who visited on Dec. 6, 2018, was the first person to attend the ceremony at the "Wailing Wall" together with Netanyahu. On Jan. 6, 2019, National Security Adviser Bolton also visited the Wailing Wall together with his Israeli counterpart Meir Ben-Shabbat.
The recognition of Israel's annexation of either Jerusalem or Golan Heights shows that the Trump administration is not the slightest bit concerned about international law. Trump is triggering the fault line of a tremor that will deeply shake the region. Developments show that Trump is surrounded by a Neocon-Christian Zionist group that has faith in the "Great Israel" and the "Doomsday War." It will once again be the everyday Americans to pay for the price of the disasters that will be caused by this group.
