Trump’s ‘deal of the century’ aimed at deceiving public opinion
By Masoumeh Reshad
US President Donald Trump is, at present, seeking to, by highlighting his ‘peace’ plan for the Middle East, divert the world public opinion towards a marginal issue and capitalize on the proposal in a bid to gain competitive edge over rival candidates in the upcoming presidential election.
US power and influence lie in the coalitions it either has formed or is a member of. The EU and countries such as the UK, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have officially consented to the proposed ‘peace’ plan, dubbed “the deal of the century.” In addition, although voicing doubts, Germany has also joined the coalition.
On the other hand, the historical background of US interference in the Middle East to resolve the regional crises and end conflicts between Palestine and Israel is a long-standing one. Since a long time, the country has sought to solve the conflicts in the Middle East by proposing different scenarios and plans in its own way.
In addition, Palestinian groups’ reaction to the plan, since the very beginning of its unveiling, has been unprecedented in the history of conflicts between Palestine and Israel, as they all have expressed vehement opposition to it. For instance, the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas, an active group, is insisting upon a return to the 1967 borders. This comes as the return is approved of even by the United Nations and its Secretary General António Guterres.
As mentioned earlier, from a media point of view, it appears as if, by proposing the scenario, Trump seeks to achieve nothing but to change the world’s public opinion in his favor.
Over the past few months, certain moves by the US, such as its assassination of top Iranian commander, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, have had numerous influences on the entire world. In addition, the US fell into an international disgrace after the air forces of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) gave a crushing response to the country by launching missile strikes on American bases in Iraq in retaliation for Washington’s act of terror. All these, coupled with the stress and pressure Trump is currently experiencing due to a number of domestic issues such as his impeachment, have convinced the US president to further highlight his plan to both hide his weak performance and divert the world’s public opinion.
To pass off its plan as an effective solution, a few months ago, the US even held a related economic meeting in Qatar attended by a number of Western investors. In this meeting, Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, expounded on the plan’s economic aspects, which seem to be more in favor of safeguarding Israelis’ interests than promoting Palestinians’ welfare.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is among the serious opponents of Trump’s so-called “deal of the century” and its implementation by the US, Israel and a number of Arab states.
Earlier, expressing pessimism, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary general of Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, described as part of preliminary measures by Americans aimed at preparing the ground for the implementation of Trump’s plan, Washington’s May 2018 withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six major world powers and its reimposition of sanctions on Tehran.
In my opinion, under the present circumstances, Muslim countries, free nations and the world’s growing movements, particularly those of the region, should react accordingly and, by forming an unwritten coalition, continue their opposing efforts until the US scheme fails.
It is also possible to forge an international consensus aimed at foiling Washington’s deceptive and evil plot through the legal mechanisms of the United Nations, as in case of adopting a passive stance in this regard, the US, Israel and a number of other states in the region will disrupt the regional security balance by implementing the plan.
* Masoumeh Reshad is a PhD holder in international relations and a member of the academic board of Roudehen Islamic Azad University.
Source: Iran Daily