H.R. McMaster Insists ‘Disruptive’ Trump Is Good For Israel
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Ron Kampeas May 3, 2017
WASHINGTON (JTA) — In an Israel Independence Day message, U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, said President Donald Trump’s disruptive approach to governing coupled with the rise of the Islamic State presented new opportunities for regional peace.
Trump “is a results-oriented businessman who feels an intense responsibility to succeed for his investors, in this case the American people,” McMaster said Tuesday at Independence Day celebrations hosted by Israel’s embassy in Washington, agreeing with those who say Trump is “disruptive.”
“‘We have always done it this way’ is not a phrase that works on President Trump,” McMaster said. Trump has little patience for “a debate over doctrine.”
That approach creates opportunities to forge a unified approach among Israel and its Arab neighbors, McMaster said, and that could lead to peace.
These elements “have created an opportunity that coincides with our new and unconventional American president,” he said.
Noting Trump’s push for Middle East peace — the president meets Wednesday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and is reported to be headed to Israel later this month — McMaster called on those present to back the initiative.
“We should all support this effort and do our best to seize this opportunity,” he said.
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