Some members of the Israeli public, who view Donald Trump’s return as a return to Israel’s uncritical support, have praised his return.
Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, supported Israel in its war on Gaza, as well as its invasion of Lebanon, but his administration’s occasional misgivings about Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which is now thought to have killed close to 62, 000 people, made parts of the Israeli public unhappy.
Israeli hopes that Trump’s second term will be as pro-Israeli as his first due to his involvement in a ceasefire that resulted in the release of some Israeli captives from Gaza and his enthusiastic suggestions of ethnic cleansing.
Here’s how he has helped prop Israel up.
Diplomacy
Trump’s unwavering support for Israel can be seen in his diplomatic decisions and appointments.
He wants to speak with Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who is opposed to the two-state solution that would give Palestine a state, and has even questioned whether “such a thing as a Palestinian exists.”
Trump’s previous ambassador to Israel was the hardline, pro-settlement, David Friedman.
Elise Stefanik has also been nominated by Trump for US ambassador to the UN. Stefanik says Israel has a “biblical right” to the West Bank.
Despite Palestinian plans to designate East Jerusalem as the country’s capital, Trump declared Jerusalem to be Israel’s capital in 2017.
Additionally, he relocated Jerusalem’s US embassy from Tel Aviv.
Under Trump, the US cut all funding for the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, in 2018.
The right of Palestinians to return to their former homes, which Israel had occupied, was one of the founding principles of UNRWA.
The US was the only nation to join Israel in voting against all eight UN 4th committee resolutions, all of which were cited as citing anti-Israel bias. They were intended to support Palestinian rights, end Israeli settlements, support refugee protections, ensure the supply of humanitarian aid, and strengthen international law already in place.
In 2020, Trump pushed for the Abraham Accords, normalising relations between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. In exchange for US assistance or diplomatic support, this promoted economic ties and security cooperation with Israel.
Support of Israeli territorial expansion
Trump vehemently supported Israel’s illegal settlements on Palestinian territory and other efforts to expand its territory.
Trump declared that the occupied Golan Heights were Israeli territory in May 2019, reversing decades of US policy.
Then, in November 2019, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo overruled his department’s 1978 legal opinion that settlements were illegal, saying the “establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not, per se, inconsistent with international law”. International law is clear on the illegality.
According to Pompeo, Israel made the decision to annex the Palestinian territory’s West Bank the following year.
The Trump administration then remained silent about a plan to build an illegal settlement close to Jerusalem, which halted Palestinians’ access to parts of the city.
Planners cited a change in US policy as a reason for the beginning of construction of new settlements in the flashpoint city of Hebron in December 2019.
In 2020, Trump presented the “Peace to Prosperity Plan”, ostensibly a peace plan.
Trump’s plan placed Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, dismissing Palestinian claims to occupied East Jerusalem.
Additionally, it favored Israel’s annexation of large portions of the West Bank, which would legitimize many Israeli settlements that were deemed against international law.
The “plan” allowed only a small portion of the Palestinian state, which had limited sovereignty and was under Israeli security control.
Palestinians were also required to comply with strict requirements before a statehood was granted, including recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, and renunciating Israeli occupation in exchange for economic investment but no sovereignty.
The plan was overwhelmingly rejected by Palestinians.
Attacking international courts
In the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, the ICC announced in 2019 that there was a valid basis for an investigation into potential war crimes committed by Israel.
The Trump administration took steps to undermine the court by defending Israel and standing up for Israel.
The following year, in the face of strident international opposition, it imposed sanctions on ICC officials, including Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, restricting their visas and freezing their assets.
Confrontations with Israel’s regional rivals
The Trump administration’s focus on addressing many of Israel’s regional rivals during its first four years was particularly strong.
The Trump administration threatened to impose sanctions and account closures on anyone who finances the Lebanese organization Hezbollah at the beginning of its existence.
Israel has faced off against Hezbollah numerous times.
In a bid to economically cripple Israel’s regional nemesis, Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA), reimposition of strict economic sanctions against Iran, in response to campaigning by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was designated a “terror group” by the US in April 2019 in an effort to “isolate it” globally and charge more money for supporting terrorism on Iran.
The US went even further by killing IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani the following year, weakening Iran’s regional influence and ability to establish military positions in countries like Iraq and Syria, from which Israel perceived itself as threatened.
Source: Aljazeera
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