Donald Trump has brought back a plan to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza that was pushed by the Biden administration and the Israeli far right. Although these plans have been rebuffed so far, there are signs Trump might be more successful.
After igniting outrage for raising a Nazi salute at a Trump inauguration event, Elon Musk tweeted: “So I am both a zionist AND a nazi?” He meant it mockingly, but the historical and ideological affinities between Zionism and white supremacy run deep.
Some are hoping for a great “Trump effect” on U.S. policy toward Palestine after his envoy brokered the Gaza ceasefire. But Trump was only operating out of self-interest, and these same interests will lead him right back to full support for Israel.
Donald Trump’s first administration proposed what it called the “Deal of the Century” which would have redrawn Israel’s borders to include major swaths of the West Bank. As Trump reenters office there are fears the annexation plan is back.
The Biden administration could have delivered the same ceasefire agreement last year, but they refused to exert pressure on Netanyahu.
A ceasefire deal to finally stop the genocide in Gaza and bring about an exchange of captives appears to be at hand, but many questions remain. Among them is the role the incoming Trump administration played and what this says for his policy in the region.
Michael Arria speaks with expert Sina Toossi about the influence neoconservatives will hold in the new Trump administration and what this could mean for policy toward Iran and the broader Middle East.
With less than two weeks left in his administration, the Biden White House has notified Congress of a new $8 billion arms deal with Israel. The sale comes as multiple human rights organizations report Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
In recent days, Gaza ceasefire talks have seemed to gather unprecedented momentum, but until Israel’s far-right government concedes it is ready to abandon the genocide any predictions of the horror finally ending should be taken with skepticism.
Yechiel Leiter, a hardcore settler leader once involved in Meir Kahane’s fascist Jewish Defense League, will be Israel’s next ambassador to the U.S. He will use his role to advocate for one of his long-time goals: Israeli annexation of the West Bank.