The Economist.
On the 12th of March 1979, Jimmy Carter addressed Israel's parliament, the Knesset, making him the first American president to do so.
Carter was in Jerusalem seeking peace between Israel and Egypt,
one stop on the diplomatic caravan that had also taken him to Camp David and Cairo.
Carter quoted both Benjamin Franklin and Spinoza and urged his audience to seize this precious opportunity.
But not all Israelis wished to do so.
Carter's speech was followed by the heckling of Prime Minister Menachem Begin,
and outside the parliament, demonstrators had threatened to lie in front of Carter's motorcade.
On Monday, it was Donald Trump's turn at the Knesset.
No Spinoza this time, but no heckling either.
A rapturous reception for a president promising an end to two years of war and the long and painful nightmare
that followed the cruelty of October 7th.
Israel, America, and all of the nations of the Middle East will be safer, stronger,
and more prosperous than ever before, the President declared.
Trump's peace plan is one week old, which is progress.
Can America keep it on track?
I'm John Prideaux, and this is Checks and Balance from the Economist.
Each week we take one big theme shaping American politics and explore it in depth.
Today, after the exchange of hostages and prisoners, what next for Israel and Gaza?
With me this week to discuss the future of Donald Trump's peace plan are Charlotte Howard and James Bennett, who are both in New York.