Erase and Rewind. Il coinvolgimento statunitense nel settore giordano-israelo-palestinese e l’eredità Trump

This chapter aims to document the main features of Trump’s lega- cy to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by analysing the United States’ diplomatic relationships with Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian National Authority in the framework of the 2020 Peace to Prosperity plan. The focus on these three dimen- sions helps to fully detail the logics and tenets of the “new” political landscape that Trump’s personal diplomacy contributed to shape. While the focus on Israel and the Palestinians is self-explanatory, the analysis of US-Jordan diplomatic rela- tions is considered important given the strong historical and socio-political bonds between Amman and the Israeli-Palestinian question. Jordan is not simply one of the regional actors involved in the issues, but also one of the most stable Arab allies for Washington; the second belligerent Arab country that signed a peace treaty with Israel (1994); that has the longest border with it; and, finally, the sole Arab state that has with this conflict, and of course with the peace process, an existential relationship. The chapter reconsiders Trump’s policies in the area by, first, providing a short overview of the past US administrations’ interventions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and, secondly, by focusing on Trump’s initiatives toward Israel, the Palestinians and Jordan. The aim of this analysis is to highlight continuities and discontinuities, pointing out what can be considered the features and factors that can probably compose the Trump legacy to future US adminis- trations. Trump did not simply impose his personal vision on the conflict and for its resolution. This always happens with each new administration. Rather, he deliberately ignored and contradicted much of the US’ traditional assumptions about the area.