Trump's gifting of the Golan to Israel on Thursday was a present meant to give Netanyahu's election campaign a boost, nothing else.
Bibi finds himself bedevilled by various corruption probes and up against the toughest competition of his political career since Ariel Sharon. The race between Netanyahu and Benny Gantz is so close that this could tip the balance.
This move can only be seen as a provocation by Arab states in the region, and provoking Arabs and Palestinians has long been a feature of Netanyahu's electioneering.
And you can't deny that it works.
Unfortunately, it comes at a time when there is a growing rift between the ever more right-wing tilt of Israeli politics and the attitudes of Jews in the US, especially the younger generation. As an example, consider that in recent memory any aspiring US political leader found it expedient to show up and speechify at the annual AIPAC convention.
This year, almost half of the Dems who have declared for the 2020 presidential race are taking a pass. This is a big deal. The Democrats are in the early stages of a generational sea-change. The momentum is clearly with the OAC-Ilhan Omar contingent. Last century Dem bigs like Pelosi and Schumer will still show up at the AIPAC shindig, of course, but anyone who wants to be perceived as progressive will give it a wide berth.
American policy in the Middle East has been an unmitigated disaster for at least fifty years. Legitimising Israel's theft of the Golan just makes it worse.
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