After the strong reactions it sparked, Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria has entered a “process of delay.” The so-called withdrawal process is slowing down. Also, Trump argued that he did not say that the withdrawal process would happen quickly. Trump’s National Security advisor John Bolton said in his statement he made during his visit to Israel that the withdrawal depends on the circumstances. According to Bolton’s statements, the withdrawal of American troops to the U.S. base in al-Tanf in Iraq through the highway from Syria to Iraq also depends on certain circumstances. Bolton, who talks as if he is the National Security Advisor of Israel, said that he will meet with Trump once more to discuss the withdrawal decision from Syria.
The signs showing that the withdrawal process from Syria is slowing down gave great comfort to the pro-Israeli Republicans within the U.S. Congress. The first statement about this issue came from Senator Lindsey Graham. In his statements he made on the ABC channel, which is owned by Liz Cheney, who is a member of House of Representatives, he said, "I've said that the administration of the United States should not pull out of Syria. I've been very hopeful as I've seen reports that we are now going to slow that down." According to Cheney, who is also the chairwoman of the House of Representatives’ Republican Conference, withdrawing from Syria doesn’t serve the interests of the U.S.’ allies in the region, especially Israel. Cheney is among the politicians who consider Israel’s security as the U.S.’ security.
Cheney, with the title of the Chairwoman of Conference, is one of the five strongest figures in the leading team of the Republicans within the Congress. Cheney is the daughter of Dick Cheney, one of the “Neo-cons” who assumed major roles in the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq during the George W. Bush administration. Dick Cheney was vice president at that time. Dick Cheney, who garnered reactions against the invasion of Iraq, also served as the Chairman of the Conference 30 years ago when he was a member of Congress. I should remind you that current Vice President Mike Pence also served as the Chairman of the Conference between 2009 and 2011.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked for help from Bolton again to get the Israeli annexation over Golan Heights to be recognized by the Trump administration. Israel has been lobbying in Washington for Golan Heights for a while. Although Netanyahu brought up the Golan issue during his meetings with Trump, he couldn’t get the answer he wanted. Trump’s so-called decision to withdraw from Syria has created a new opportunity for Netanyahu. Republican Senators Tom Cotton and Ted Cruz introduced a bill to the Foreign Affairs Committee comprising the decision to declare that Golan belongs to Israel.
Another development was about Trump’s so-called “Palestine Peace Plan.” This plan has been carried out by Trump’s chief advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner, Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt and Ambassador of the U.S. to Israel David Friedman. The plan, which was expected to be declared to the public in February 2019, was postponed because of the snap elections that is going to take place in Israel on April 9. Trump’s first Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security advisor General McMaster were excluded from the process of the preparation of this plan. Tillerson and McMaster were literally subjected to the lynching campaign of the elements of the “Israel Lobby” who support Netanyahu. There is no doubt that the “Israel Lobby” played a role in Trump’s decision to dismiss Tillerson and McMaster. Today, however, National Security Advisor John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who are known as pro-Israeli politicians are taking part in the preparation of the plan.
The fact that all the names who are a part of the preparations of the plan are pro-Israeli is the biggest dilemma. The Palestinian government, on the other hand, has preferred to stay out of the negotiations because of Trump’s decision to move the U.S.’s Israel embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The biggest supporters of Trump’s so-called peace plan in the region are Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt. If the destiny of the Palestinians is going to be determined by a plan which the Palestinians are not a part of, then that plan won’t work.
