Islam Times - Where Does Palestine Head with Trump’s Comeback?

Islam Times - The Palestinians and Lebanese are bracing for heavier bombardment and tougher war and more by Israeli regime since they believe that the conflict will intensify now that Trump has made a comeback to the White House.

In his first term between 2016 and 2020, he took measures that inflicted serious damage on the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and surrounding areas. He cut off aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and by relocating the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Al-Quds (Jerusalem), he practically recognized Israeli occupation in the West Bank. He also recognized Israeli occupation of Syrian Golan Heights in 2019, obviously ridiculing the international laws.

Trump and Biden, two sides of one coin

Some in Ramallah argue that Palestinian conditions cannot be worse under Trump, though some others argue that the outcome of the US actions can be unpredictable and frustrating, as were Trump's measures during his first presidency.

Ayad Barghuthi, a retired Palestinian university professor, commented on the common Trump view on Gaza war, telling Aljazeera that Trump's arrival would not make a huge difference, because what Biden used to do by being low-key, Trump will talk about more and not else.

In fact, a large part of the Palestinian society believes that Trump's comeback to the White House will not change the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians. Ramzi Rabah, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said: "Trump has and will have a lot of coordination with his friend Netanyahu and the right-wing fascist and racist Zionists at the political level, especially regarding the future of the region."

A Palestinian citizen says that the Democrats and Republicans are two sides of one coin and he thinks that they will contribute to the further Israeli domination of Palestinian regions in the West Bank.

End or intensification of Gaza war?

One possibility is that Trump will give Netanyahu a broader leeway for continuation of war in Gaza and beyond. Trump has supported all of Israel's crimes in Gaza, but he has stressed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he must end the war quickly; so quick that the Times of Israel, citing informed sources, reported that Trump has informed Netanyahu that he expects Israel to end the war in Gaza by his official return to power on January 20. However, many cast doubt at Trump's promise to end the war, believing that he will seek heavier bombardment and suppression of Palestinians to destroy their resistance machine.

Furthermore, when we examine Trump's stances, we can obviously see his toughness against the Palestinians. He had said he will provide Tel Aviv whatever it needs for so-called self-defense and will let Israel "finish the job" in Gaza.

According to available reports, in early October, during a phone call with Netanyahu, Trump said that Israel should do "whatever is necessary" to protect itself. During the October 7 attack anniversary event in Florida, the Republican candidate pledged to support Israel in winning its war on "terror", adding that Israel "must win this war quickly; "Whatever happens, it must happen quickly." This position echoed Trump's earlier statements that Israel should end the war against Hamas in Gaza. He had earlier said in an interview with The Hugh Hewitt Show": "You have to end this mess and get back to normal. I don't think I like the way they [Israelis] do it, because you have to win"

Possible work to restart the deal of the century

Historically, in the first term of his presidency, by revoking the Iran nuclear agreement and pressuring some Arab countries to sign normalization deals with Israel, Trump upset the policy of the past decades of the US and the international consensus, and now it is unlikely that Trump wants to adopt a normal behavior regarding the Palestinian issue.

In his first term, Trump proposed to the Palestinians the "deal of the century" that his Jewish son-in-law Jared Kushner had designed, a plan that was so unfair and destructive that even the most subservient people to the West rose their voice in its opposition and therefore failed to see the light in practice. Now, some predict that Trump will work to finish his unfinished job and this time he will put all his focus on this largely unfair plan.

It should be taken into account that Trump regularly calls himself the "best friend" of Israel. On September 19, in his Israeli-American Council address Trump said "we're going to make Israel great again, reflecting his campaign slogan "make America great again." He added that with American Jews voting for him, he will become the "protector" and "defender" of them and the "best friend Jewish Americans have ever had in the White House.