The day on which we read the eternal sentence from the Book of Esther (8:16): "The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor," which was uttered when salvation arrived after great despair – on that very day, Purim – we learned about another wonderful gift from the 45th president of the U.S., Donald Trump. He was recognizing Israeli sovereignty on the Golan Heights. Trump, as usual, put the news out on Twitter. A tweet of new heights!
After President Trump's historic tweet, I couldn't help but remember the funeral of former Syrian President Hafez Assad, which I covered in 2000. In the streets of Damascus, I saw Syrian women mourning the dead president, crying, "Who will hold onto the Golan for us?" I'm sorry to disappoint you, Syrian people, it looks like no one will give you back the Golan.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman was interviewed in the Israel Hayom Rosh Hashanah supplement and told diplomatic correspondent Ariel Kahana that he believed the Golan Heights could remain in Israel's hands forever and certainly wouldn't be returned to the current president of Syria, Assad's son Bashar.
I can't imagine a circumstance where the Golan Heights will be returned to Syria. I cannot imagine, frankly, a circumstance where the Golan Heights is not a part of Israel forever. There's not even an indigenous population in the Golan Heights seeking autonomy. … You'd put Israel at a great security disadvantage by giving up the high ground of the Golan Heights. … I can't think of a less deserving person to receive this kind of reward than Bashar Assad," Friedman said.
As the American ambassador was saying these important things, Washington and Jerusalem were continuing major diplomatic efforts aimed at securing American recognition of Israeli sovereignty on the Golan Heights. We need to acknowledge the wonderful work by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and his colleague from Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, as well as that of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his team.
And we also need to be unafraid to talk about sovereignty, and not only when it comes to defense and security. When you go back to Jewish sources, to the days when Gamla was a Jewish city on the Golan Heights that joined the great revolt at the end of the Second Temple period, we find that Gamla is more than just its winery. But above all, we need to remember that this is a decision that came into being and was made by the leadership echelon. It would not have been possible if there hadn't been someone on Pennsylvania Avenue who was willing to take bold steps.
The people Trump has appointed to his hive, and he, of course, put Israel's security before everything else. Especially given the palpable Iranian threat and Tehran's desire to move closer to Israel's borders on the Golan, and also the fear that Moscow will grow stronger through its support for Bashar Assad. Israel has become not only an asset but also a regional partner of the first rank for Washington.
Through a step like this, Washington is making it clear that it will help anyone who works with America. That has nothing to do with elections, it's about Trump, Netanyahu, and the special bond the two leaders have formed – a bond that is almost unprecedented in the history of Israeli-American relations. Trump wisely placed his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt on the team with Friedman. It looks as if no president ever put so much faith in his peace team, and the latest decision indicates that even when there are no dramatic announcements, they know how to work thoroughly and efficiently. Netanyahu was also wise in fostering direct communication with Trump's team, and of course with Trump himself, even when the rest of the world warned him to cut it out, saying it sounded like "political support."
Of course, after Thursday's tweet, the same old analysts starting talking about Trump helping his friend Netanyahu during an election campaign, and I thought to myself, after Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and their interference in elections, a prime minister of Israel being a friend of the American president is important. On one channel, someone actually talked about the "bonbons" Washington was handing out to Netanyahu 20 days before the Knesset election. Maybe, just maybe, these are sweets for the State of Israel!
Before catching his flight to the AIPAC conference, Netanyahu spoke with Trump on the phone. "You've made history," he told the president, and he was right. Trump has without a doubt broken the global political stalemate, especially when it comes to the Middle East. After eight years of Obama, did someone mention despair? Then Trump arrived and turned everything around – recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, and now recognizing Israeli sovereignty on the Golan Heights – and all in the space of two years.
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The same media people who on Thursday were wondering about Trump's tweet – both its content and its timing – are the ones who suddenly miss the late Prime Minister Menachem Begin (forgetting what their fathers did to him) and are blaming the Right for the stormy campaign, because it's always the Right's fault.
Maybe now is the time to remind the people missing Begin of Dec. 14, 1981, when his government canceled military rule on the Golan Heights and applied Israeli law there. In 1967, the IDF made history on the Golan for the first time. In 1981, it was Begin. Now, it's Trump.
And to those who will try to spoil the party and remind us that the international community sees the Golan Heights as occupied territory, maybe this is the time to remind them that the name Golan appears for the first time in the Book of Deuteronomy. So we can rejoice. And you, Trump – you're the king!
