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OPINIONS

Tue 28 Jan 2025 10:48 am - Jerusalem Time

The Trump Administration in the Middle East, False Promises and a Distorted Fascist and Religious Ideological Vision

Since Donald Trump arrived at the White House for the second time, the rapid changes at all levels, international, regional and local. In light of that, Trump’s inauguration speech was a horrific display full of hatred and focus on national greatness and divine promise, like the emergence of any new historical trend, opinions vary about its meaning.

He attacked the previous administration, immigrants, and broad segments of Americans, along with Latin Americans and the rest of the world.

Trump took his inspiration from Hitler’s first radio address in 1933, where he attacked the old order and promised a new era of national greatness wrapped in the term “peace.” Trump has revisited this vision using the term “golden age,” but in practice it serves a growing fascist vision with economic dimensions in the face of today’s crisis of the capitalist system.

Hence, his administration has drawn up a distorted policy in the Middle East characterized by political hypocrisy, fascism, extremist ideological tendencies, in addition to trade deals, complete bias towards Israel and the idea of transfer. This policy has not only ignored Palestinian rights, but has also strengthened Israeli hegemony, while providing illusions through figures such as Mike Boulos and Jason Wefkoff. At the same time, US policies under the Trump administration have shown the absence of any real interest in supporting the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, which deepens Palestinian suffering and pushes towards the liquidation of the cause.


False promises and middlemen

In my view, Mike Boulos, the Lebanese billionaire and father-in-law of Tiffany Trump, played a role in promising the Palestinians that there was a real chance for a breakthrough under the Trump administration. These promises followed a well-worn American pattern of selling the Palestinians illusions, whereby illusory economic or political solutions are promoted without any real commitments. Likewise, Jason Levkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, sought to promote a mediation role with the Palestinians, even expressing a desire to visit Gaza. But in reality, these initiatives do not conflict with the administration’s policies, which seek to perpetuate the Israeli occupation and promote settlements in the West Bank, in addition to the annexation and annexation projects.


The Israeli hegemony project within the American strategy

The alliance between the United States and Israel is based on deep strategic interests, including religious and cultural determinants, which makes the idea of establishing an independent Palestinian state incompatible with American orientations. Israel represents a strategic base for Washington in the region, and thus strengthening its power serves American interests. In this context, the Trump administration’s support for Israeli settlements, the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem, and its recognition of it as the unified capital of Israel were steps that confirm that Washington sees continued Israeli hegemony as a long-term strategic option.

Approval of the decision of the Israeli occupation government to extend the presence of the occupation army in Lebanon after the expiration of the period according to the armistice agreement falls within this context, on the one hand.

On the other hand, it is also clear that Trump's agenda has completely excluded Jordan from its calculations. It is an economic siege that Trump wants to impose on Jordan to push it to conform to his political project in the region and receive Palestinians from Gaza on its lands, a project that Jordan officially put a brake on during President Trump's first term in the White House, and now the attempt is being made again under the policies of waving threats by cutting off aid.

On the other hand, the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Hagaby, and the US ambassador to the United Nations have clearly reflected these policies. Hagaby, a hardline evangelical, believes in the so-called “biblical right” of the Jews to the West Bank and refuses to call the Israeli communities there “settlements.” The US ambassador to the United Nations has likewise emphasized this right in her statements, reflecting the depth of ideological influence in US decision-making.


Ideological dimension and electoral influence

Trump’s policies cannot be separated from his electoral base, which is largely made up of Christian Zionists or evangelicals. These groups see support for Israel as a religious and ideological duty. For them, the “Greater Land of Israel” is part of their faith, which explains the unconditional support Israel enjoys from these circles. This opposing influence has played a major role in pushing the Trump administration to adopt policies that serve the Israeli project in its entirety at the expense of Palestinian rights.

Since taking office, Trump has also lifted sanctions on settlers, lifted a ban on bomb shipments to Israel, and called for the forced transfer of Palestinians with a proposal to “evacuate areas.”


Lack of interest in establishing a Palestinian state

If we look at Trump’s policy realistically, it becomes clear that his administration did not see any real interest in supporting the establishment of an independent Palestinian state or enabling the Palestinians to determine their fate, as all previous administrations did. The American interest focused on strengthening Israeli hegemony, whether through political steps such as the “Deal of the Century” that completely ignored legitimate Palestinian rights, or through normalizing relations between Israel and Arab countries such as the UAE and Bahrain, in addition to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is currently the top priority in the circle of American pressure to sign a normalization agreement with Israel.


The illusion of development and the mentality of deals

Trump approaches international issues, including the Palestinian issue, with a “transactional mentality.” Rather than focusing on achieving justice or addressing the political roots of the conflict, Trump views the region as a place for economic gain. His statements about Gaza as a “great tourism investment opportunity” are just one example of this narrow, commercial outlook, which minimizes the importance and reality of the Palestinian people’s suffering and turns their cause into a commercial project.


US Policies Towards Gaza and the New Initiative

At the same time, a recent statement by Trump emerged clarifying his vision for the post-war period in Gaza, where he suggested that Egypt and Jordan receive Palestinians from Gaza, saying: “We want to clean this place up completely,” which reflects his fascist thinking and further disdain for the Palestinian cause, and his insistence on turning it into another file far from the historical and political rights of the Palestinian people. These statements are in line with American trends that have no real intention to achieve peace or establish a sovereign Palestinian state or empower our people in their right to self-determination.

Trump’s policies towards the Middle East, especially the Palestinian issue, reflect a strategic approach that serves Israeli hegemony and the American role in the region that it seeks for various strategic considerations, while offering false promises to the Palestinians through political hypocrisy. In light of this reality, it has become necessary for us Palestinians to unite our ranks according to a clear strategic vision and work to rearrange internal, political and diplomatic priorities to confront the growing challenges, including overcoming the illusions associated with any positive role for a biased American administration that is a partner to Israel.

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The Trump Administration in the Middle East, False Promises and a Distorted Fascist and Religious Ideological Vision

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