Trump Gets 'Israel Prize,' Humanity Gets Collective Amnesia
Newsweek reported on Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement that Donald Trump was to be awarded the 'Israel Prize' for 'strengthening Israel's standing in the world.' This conveniently side-steps the very public record of how that 'strengthening' occurred: by moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and brokering normalization deals that bypassed Palestinian
rights entirely. These moves weren't acts of altruism; they were hardline policy shifts that shattered decades of international consensus and, arguably, further entrenched conflict. The headline reads like a feel-good story, but it’s really a stark reminder of how political 'prizes' often codify policies that have immense human consequences. Netanyahu, facing his own legal challenges at the time,
was rewarding a U.S. President who delivered on a wish-list while ignoring international law and Palestinian self-determination. One might wonder, what exactly is 'strengthening' Israel's standing when it comes at the expense of international legal norms and regional stability?