Trump travels

Donald Trump is on the move, his first foreign trip since becoming president. His delegation going with him must be having kittens. What will he say, how will he say it, will he know what the key issues are? Now this may sound terribly patronising, but, actually after his disastrous last `10 days, there is good reason to wonder how he will perform in such different places as Saudi Arabia, Israel and Belgium. Those who know Trump and those foreign leaders who have met him, such as Theresa May and Angela Merkel, apparently think he is charming, listens well, and has a good manner. Except of course when Merkel offered to shake his hand for the cameras while they were sitting in chairs next to each other, and he showed total indifference. Well, it looked like total indifference, but it may be that he either didn't spot her outstretched hand or he couldn't be bothered to do anything to please the gathered photographers. In Saudi Arabia he'll have to be careful to observe the respect rituals. The Saudis are easily miffed. But Trump will have been grilled, and provided he offers a huge arms deal, which apparently Jared, his son-in-law, has already fixed, things should go swimmingly. Israel will be tricky because Netanyahu is a prickly chap who won't like to be talked down to, as Obama did, or as BB thought Obama did. Obama got cross with him over the settlements issue on the West Bank and he didn't like that. Trump is a different breed of human being, not cool and intellectual, but a businessman who likes chandeliers and bling and has his own golf courses, and is so sick of the Russia collusion thing that just to be out of Washington in the fresh air will put him in a good mood. He will be ready to talk deals. He loves that. But in Israel there's all sorts of pitfalls to avoid. First up will be Trump's enthusiasm for having the US Embassy move to Jerusalem. That won't happen of course because there would be riots across the Arab world. King Abdullah of Jordan has already warned him about that, and he won't want to piss off King Abdullah because he's a frightfully good chap and Jordan is key key key to what's going on in neighbouring Syria. King Abdullah is a good egg and if he says no to the US embassy in Jerusalem I doubt Trump will do the opposite. But of course that will piss off Netanyahu. You can't win. Well, Trump can't win. He'll probably fudge that one and start talking straight about those settlements and the two-state solution and please be nice to the Palestinians. And don't mention Hamas. Just hand over yet another arms package and off you go to the next capital. So I doubt Trump will solve the riddle that's been around for 70 years, how to make peace, proper peace, between Israel and Palestine, however charming he is. Netanyahu can also be very charming but with a steely inside that won't give in to entreaties about doing anything that might even hint at making the tiny country of Israel more vulnerable - in his view and the view of the dodgy coalition he has breathing down his neck every day. But I expect Trump to breeze his way through all the pitfalls and obstacles and make nice with all the leaders he meets. He needs friends right now, any friends, anywhere.