US Middle East Policy under President Trump: Analysis of a new approach to the Middle East peace process

Abstract

The Israel-Palestine conflict is one of the most intractable conflicts in the world since the mid-20th century. The conflict has shaped, for decades, the political, economic and diplomatic relations of surrounding states and concerned superpowers. Amongst other factors, the establishment of the State of Israel in the region, its continuous expansion and the dispossession of Palestinians (primarily Muslim Arabs) translated consequently into Arab resentment leading to persistent war, violence and non-recognition of Israel as a sovereign state. But more importantly, the religious and historical significance of Jerusalem – which reflects special meaning for Jews, Muslims and Christians – has made it one of the most compelling factors at the heart of the conflict. Since 1948, claims and counterclaims to Jerusalem by Israel and Palestinians (with both aspiring to make it their future capital) saw the city initially divided – west and east Jerusalem respectively – until the 1967 Six Days War when Israel completed its unilateral occupation of the city. Undoubtedly, the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict is welldocumented in published literature. This is reflected in a high volume of literature on many facets of this lingering conflict. Still, works that have thoroughly analysed US Middle East foreign policy under President Trump are rather scanty. This study analyses US Middle East policy under President Trump with focus on the
Abraham Accords and the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. It seeks to understand the key role played by the Trump’s administration which culminated in its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the normalisation relations between Israel and many Arab states, and its broader implication and consequences for the Palestinian peace process. Findings indicate that the moves, seen by many as huge foreign policy milestones for the Trump administration, did not only stir backlash and huge rejection from the Arab and the Muslim world but have also further complicated the hope of a just and lasting peace in the region.