Those de facto, cost-free annexations were exactly what many Israeli hard right wingers were hoping Trump would allow. Perhaps he will. He is no friend of the Palestinians.
But his western allies are already hoping that transactional Trump may be more flexible than Joe Biden, a self-proclaimed Zionist, would ever be, especially if he wants the Saudis to join the Abraham Accords.
Peace in the Middle East is perhaps the greatest prize in global diplomacy, because it is so elusive and at the moment so distant.
What price is Donald Trump prepared to accept for a deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel? Prince Mohammed bin Salman has named his – a Palestinian state. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the Palestinians will never get an independent state.
Donald Trump is unlikely to be able to bully Mohammed bin Salman into changing his position. The Saudi Arabia of MBS is too assertive for that, and an invitation to Riyadh for the president of China would make the Americans nervous.
It is a time of hard choices. President Trump will have a lot to think about when he re-enters the White House after his inauguration.
Top picture credit: Getty Images
