Eventually every Israeli prime minister reaches the moment in which the U.S. administration pulls out the diplomatic lexicon to “express concern,” or “ask for explanations,” or sometimes even “strongly condemn” Israel’s actions in the West Bank and toward the Palestinians.
It’s been just over a year since the Abraham Accords were signed in a majestic ceremony on the White House’s South Lawn. A lot has changed since then.
The week that has passed since Ben & Jerry’s announced their decision to stop selling their frozen goods in the Palestinian areas occupied by Israel in 1967 provided ample time to come up with puns and memes about this rare intersection of ice cream, Israel and antisemitism.
In many ways, sharing pain seems to be a radical, dangerous act. If we focus solely on our own hurt, we may not have to ask why we were hurt. But if you accept “the other’s” pain, you start to think that pain might not be necessary for either side.
The atmosphere in the White House East Room seemed at times more like a raucous campaign event than a launch of a diplomatic initiative three years in the making. Invitees broke out in cheers as Trump praised the Israeli prime minister standing next to him, just as they did when Netanyahu gushed over Trump.
