In Israel, columnist urges Trump to set red lines for Netanyahu — Jerusalem Post
Gershon Baskin, a columnist for the Israeli Jerusalem Post, urged US President Donald Trump to privately set red lines for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the situation in the West Bank ahead of Israeli elections. According to the author, a public dispute between Washington and Netanyahu could allow the Israeli prime minister to use US pressure in the election campaign.
Warnings regarding the West Bank
Baskin believes that the United States must prevent steps that could create irreversible changes before the vote. Among such actions, he named escalation in the West Bank, the forced displacement of Palestinian communities, significant steps toward annexation, and organized settler violence aimed at provoking a Palestinian response.
The author also proposed that Washington strengthen its presence on the ground. He mentioned US Ambassador Mike Huckabee's visit to Turmus Ayya, a Palestinian locality with a significant Palestinian-American community that, according to Baskin, has repeatedly been subjected to settler attacks. According to the columnist's account, Huckabee called settlers involved in violence terrorists and urged that they be prosecuted under the law.
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Preparing a plan for Gaza
In Baskin's view, postponing the full implementation of the Gaza roadmap should not mean freezing it. He writes that the 15-point plan agreed on July 30 provides for the phased disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the transfer of civilian authority to the Palestinian National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, the deployment of an International Stabilization Force, the establishment of a Palestinian police force, and large-scale reconstruction under Palestinian administration.
The columnist proposes preparing a Palestinian technocratic administration, police force, plans for the deployment of international forces, mechanisms for operating crossing points, delivering humanitarian aid, restoring infrastructure, and financing reconstruction before the elections. He also called for coordinating Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Turkey to prevent a new regional escalation.
Baskin believes that Trump can postpone final political pressure until the end of the elections in Israel, but must not allow the conditions for implementing the peace plan to be destroyed before then.
