Many Israeli officers have celebrated Donald Trump’s re-election to the US presidency.
On Tuesday, the president-elect revealed he would nominate former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee as the brand new US ambassador to Israel.
Huckabee, an evangelical Christian, is a staunch supporter of Israel and defender of Israeli settlements within the occupied West Financial institution, thought-about unlawful beneath worldwide regulation, together with the Geneva Conventions.
“He loves Israel and the folks of Israel, and likewise, the folks of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to result in peace within the Center East!” Trump stated in an announcement.
Huckabee has beforehand criticised US President Joe Biden for pressuring Israel to reasonable its conduct of the battle within the Gaza Strip.
“If an individual is pro-Israel, how are you going to be pro-Biden as a result of the Biden administration has made it very clear they may make concessions to Hamas,” he had stated in an interview in March on US cable information community Information Nation.
Israel’s response to Donald Trump’s re-election
The response from many members of the Israeli authorities to Trump’s re-election has been celebratory.
Earlier than polls had closed on election day, Israel’s nationwide safety minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote on social media platform X, “Yesssss” with emojis of a bicep and the Israel and US flags.
Talking later within the Knesset, Ben-Gvir referred to Trump’s re-election, saying: “That is the time for sovereignty, that is the time for full victory.”
Following the US election, additionally wrote on X that Trump’s re-election was: “historical past’s biggest comeback”.
He congratulated the president-elect, saying his return: “affords a brand new starting for America and a strong recommitment to the good alliance between Israel and America”.
In an announcement earlier this week, Netanyahu stated he had spoken to Trump thrice in current days and that the pair see “eye to eye” on the “Iranian risk”.
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog additionally wished Trump on his election victory throughout his go to to Washington on Tuesday, the place he was hosted on the White Home by Biden.
He referred to Trump as: “a champion of peace and cooperation and an incredible pal of Israel”.
“In our dialog just some days in the past following his election, we spoke of the pressing have to convey our hostages again dwelling. President Trump reiterated his love for Israel; I thanked him for his friendship and wished him each success,” Herzog stated in his tackle to the Jewish Federations’ Common Meeting in Washington.
Palestinians’ response to Trump’s victory
Some Palestinians in Gaza have expressed worry at Trump’s return to the White Home.
In Khan Younis within the southern Gaza Strip, Abu Osama, who has been displaced by unrelenting Israeli bombardments, advised Reuters that Trump’s victory is a “new disaster within the historical past of the Palestinian folks”.
Greater than 43,300 Palestinians have been killed in additional than a 12 months of battle in Gaza, well being authorities within the enclave say, and far of the territory has been laid to waste.
The battle between Hamas and Israel is the most recent escalation in a long-standing regional battle and adopted the October 7, 2023 assault wherein Hamas militants killed 1,200 Israelis and took greater than 250 hostages, in line with Israeli tallies.
Within the occupied West Financial institution, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a rival of Hamas, congratulated Trump on his election as US president. He stated he would cooperate with the brand new administration to achieve regional peace.
“We’ll stay steadfast in our dedication to peace, and we’re assured that america will assist, beneath your management, the legit aspirations of the Palestinian folks,” Abbas stated in an announcement.
Some Palestinians stated they noticed little distinction between former president Trump and vice chairman Kamala Harris, however felt Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital throughout his first time period demonstrated a stronger bias towards Israel.
Donald Trump’s first presidency
Throughout his first presidency from 2017 to 2021, Trump established himself as a staunch ally of Israel.
In 2017, Trump reversed a long time of US coverage by recognising Jerusalem — a metropolis sacred to Muslims, Jews, and Christians — because the capital of Israel and shifting the US embassy there. 1000’s of Palestinians took to the streets to protest the choice, which additionally drew criticism from each the Arab world and Western allies.
Australia, beneath the Morrison authorities, recognised West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in late 2018, however didn’t transfer its embassy there. .
Whereas Netanyahu hailed Trump’s 2017 announcement as a “historic landmark,” the choice was criticised by nations together with Britain and France. Palestinian president Abbas, in the meantime, stated the US had abdicated its function as a mediator within the peace course of.
In 2020, the Trump administration mediated , normalising diplomatic relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. Nevertheless, the agreements did little to advance Palestinian statehood within the West Financial institution and Gaza.
What is going to Trump’s second presidency convey for Israel?
Trump is anticipated to proceed arming Israel, whose existence he stated would have been endangered if Harris had been elected — a declare dismissed by the Biden administration, which has expressed sturdy assist for Israel.
Whereas he has broadly referred to as for an finish to the battle in Gaza, Trump has but to obviously define how his incoming administration may assist expedite that course of. In the course of the marketing campaign, he additionally reiterated his stance on Israel, stating he would assist what he described as Israel’s “proper to win its battle on terror”.
Chatting with SBS Information earlier than the US election, Ian Parmeter, a analysis scholar on the Australian Nationwide College’s Centre for Arab and Islamic Research, stated Trump could be “much more pro-Israeli” than Harris and is probably going to offer “freer rein to Netanyahu to do what he must win the battle”.
He stated Trump’s assist would additionally doubtless lengthen to Israel’s targets in Lebanon, the place , and Israel has directed harmful airstrikes and troop operations.
Jared Mondschein, director of analysis at america Research Centre, stated the celebrations from numerous Israeli authorities officers present they’re anticipating an administration that may “not strain them to vary their plan of action”.
“I believe they’re anticipating a US administration, together with a possible US ambassador to Israel who’s supportive of numerous Israeli settlements and the Israel Protection Forces,” he stated.
Nevertheless, Mondschein stated there could also be numerous continuity between Biden and Trump’s presidencies in terms of Israel attributable to bipartisan assist for Israel within the US.
In response to Brown College’s Prices of Warfare venture, the US has spent at the very least US$17.9 billion ($27 billion) on navy help to Israel since October 7, as of 30 September.
Mondschein stated one level of distinction could also be that the Trump administration will place much less strain on Israel over making certain humanitarian help enters Gaza, however Trump will even be eager to see an finish to Israel’s battle within the Palestinian enclave.
“I do assume there’s a chance that Trump will put some strain on Israel to complete their operations in Gaza as a result of the US would not see it as useful to US efforts within the area,” he stated.
“The US is bored with a bipartisan consensus of the area taking over scarce resourcing, scarce consideration from america, and in order that’s why I believe, satirically, Trump would be the form of president to place strain on Israel to — possibly not deal with humanitarian points — however simply deal with getting out of Gaza,” Mondschein stated.
He stated neither Trump, Biden, nor Harris: “desires to see US blood or extra assets spent on the Center East, and so they’re actually simply hoping that it simply isn’t an space they might want to deal with”.
All through his presidential marketing campaign, Trump promised to convey peace within the Center East. Throughout his debate with Harris, the previous president stated he would “get that settled and quick”, referring to the battle.
Nevertheless, Trump has to this point been unclear on how he plans to convey an finish to battle within the Center East, telling Netanyahu “Do what it’s good to do” whereas talking with the Israeli prime minister about his offensives towards Hamas and Hezbollah in October, in line with a Washington Submit Report.
— With extra reporting from the Australian Related Press and Reuters.
