Could Trump be persuaded to save Palestinians in Gaza?
Most US presidents have stuck with the Israeli government regardless of its atrocities because the political fallout of deviating was too high. Any pressure on Israel would be sure to trigger outrage from Christian evangelicals (Israel's largest group of supporters in the US) and the conservative segment of American Jews represented by the lobbying group Aipac.
Trump is less susceptible to such pressure because there is no major political figure to his right. Israel's supporters can complain, but they have no place to turn.
Trump has already used that latitude to differ from the Israeli prime minister on a range of issues. He lifted sanctions on the interim Syrian authorities when Netanyahu preferred a crippled neighbor. He struck a deal with Houthi forces in Yemen to stop attacking shipping without insisting on an end to attacks on Israel. He authorized direct negotiations with Hamas, which Netanyahu considered anathema, and initially pursued negotiations with Iran while Netanyahu preferred immediate bombing. He visited the Arab Gulf states without stopping in Israel. And he put pressure on Netanyahu twice to agree to temporary ceasefires in Gaza.
In other respects, Trump has supported the Netanyahu government. He authorized renewed delivery of the 2,000-pound bombs that Joe Biden had suspended because Israel was using them to decimate Palestinian neighborhoods. He vetoed a UN security council call for an unconditional ceasefire. He imposed sanctions on the international criminal court (ICC) prosecutor for charging Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant with the war crime of starving and depriving Palestinian civilians. He also sanctioned two ICC judges for affirming the charges, and a UN special rapporteur for accurately reporting on and denouncing Israel's genocide.
But Netanyahu could find it perilous to count on Trump. Despite the periodic shows of mutual support, there seems to be no love lost between the two men. Moreover, Trump's mood changes with the weather. He can turn on a dime with barely a blush. His loyalty is foremost to himself. His only lodestar is his political or financial self-interest.
There are plenty of reasons for the transactional Trump to sour on Netanyahu. While Trump bellyaches about the funds spent to defend Ukraine's democracy from Vladimir Putin's invasion, the US government has sent more than $22bn to Israel to sustain its war in Gaza, with no end in sight (more than $300bn since Israel's founding in 1948). Netanyahu seems to treat an open spigot from Washington as an entitlement, but Trump can easily develop an allergy to such enormous expenditures.
Then there is Trump's ego. Netanyahu's pronouncement during his White House visit this month that he had nominated Trump for a Nobel peace prize was cringe-worthy in its pandering, especially from a man whose willingness to relentlessly kill Palestinian civilians as a vehicle to retain power and avoid pending corruption charges is the main obstacle to a ceasefire.
But Trump seems genuinely to want a Nobel peace prize. That won't happen by underwriting the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, which Trump initially proposed and Netanyahu's far-right ministers, who are capable of collapsing his governing coalition, are demanding. Nor will it come from sequestering Palestinians in a 'concentration camp', as former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert describes the proposal of the Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, to confine Palestinians on the ruins of a corner of Gaza.
Trump would deserve accolades for truly ending the conflict and enabling the rebuilding of Gaza. But the conflict is unlikely to truly end, and the Gulf Arab states will be reluctant to pony up the billions needed for reconstruction, for a mere return to the apartheid that Israel has imposed on Palestinians in the occupied territory. A Nobel-worthy end to the conflict would be a Palestinian state living side-by-side with an Israeli one.
Netanyahu has devoted his career to avoiding that possibility. The massive settlement enterprise is designed to preclude it. But because none of the alternatives – mass expulsion, endless apartheid or equal rights in a single state – is morally or politically viable, a Palestinian state is the best option.
It is difficult to imagine Trump pushing for a Palestinian state. He has appointed an ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, whose vision for a state is to put it anywhere but in Palestine. But if Trump's quest for accolades, his bid for the history books, takes priority in his mind, which is entirely possible, we should not discount this turn of events.
Trump turned on Putin last week when he proclaimed: 'We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He's very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.' That describes Netanyahu to a T.
Why does Trump let Netanyahu keep playing him the way Putin did? How can Trump proclaim himself the Master Negotiator when he can't manage to use his enormous leverage over Netanyahu to get him to stop bombing and starving Palestinian civilians? Is Trump not sophisticated enough to move from real-estate deals to international negotiations?
I'm sure that Trump would hate to be asked these questions. The sycophants around him won't. Others can and should. Trump's fragile ego, his insatiable need for praise, may be the Palestinians' best chance of turning him in a constructive direction.
Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch (1993-2022), is a visiting professor at Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs. His book, Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments, was published by Knopf and Allen Lane in February
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Florida school chair's vile Hulk Hogan post sparks outrage as she apologizes for celebrating WWE legend's death
Florida county school board chair Sarah Rockwell has sparked outrage after making shocking comments about Hulk Hogan 's death on social media. The WWE icon died at the age of 71 on Thursday after suffering fatal cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida. And while many fans took the time to share tributes to the wrestling legend, Florida county official Rockwell took aim at Hogan and his political views. In a post on Facebook, Rockwell wrote: 'Oh did Hulk die? I didn't even know. Good. One less MAGA in the world'. In a follow-up comment, she wrote: '[H]e worked with the McMahons to union bust professional wrestling. '[H]e's never been a good guy. I feel absolutely nothing about his death.' Rockwell seemingly mocked the death and claimed there was 'one less MAGA in the world' After the comments went viral on social media, Rockwell swiftly deleted them before later issuing a statement apologizing for the 'flippant' remarks. She wrote: 'A few days ago, I made a cruel and flippant comment from my personal Facebook account on a friend's post regarding the death of Hulk Hogan. I deeply regret making that comment and have since removed it. 'I want to make it very clear that I never have and never will wish harm on anyone regardless of whether we share political views. While I strongly disagree with some of the comments Hulk Hogan made, that is no excuse for my comment.' 'I also sincerely apologize for the way my comment has eroded confidence in my ability to represent all students, families, and staff in Alachua County. 'I want to assure all of you that the best interests of our children and our public schools are at the center of everything I do as a board member. I hope I have shown that by my record of advocacy for children, families, and staff members throughout Alachua County. 'Again, I apologize for the hurt and distrust I have caused with my insensitive comment. I will continue to do the hard work of putting our children and schools first. I hope that I can earn back your trust.' Though Rockwell limited comments on the apology post, fans of Hogan swiftly flooded to her profile page where they left lashed out at the Florida school official. 'You'll never be half the man that Hulk Hogan was,' one wrote. Hogan - whose real name is Terry Bollea - was reportedly working with the streaming giant on the unannounced project, which was set to chronicle his controversial life in and out of the ring, according to CNN. Throughout his final months, Hogan battled through the emotional toll of a bitter family feud with ex-wife Linda and his daughter Brooke. Rockwell later deleted her initial comments before sharing a groveling apology on Facebook In an astonishing video on social media shared back in March, Linda first accused her former husband of being a 'complete liar' and 'sex addict' . She also claimed their family is 'in the worst mess' after Brooke cut both parents out of her life, before hitting back at her mom by alleging that her dad was not the only reason behind the shocking family divide, claiming she was 'verbally and mentally abused' during her childhood. 'Sadly, it would frequently turn physical. And sometimes it's not by the person you would assume, abuse comes in all shapes and sizes,' Brooke alleged. After Brooke's stunning response, Linda then took a dramatic U-turn by defending Hogan and branding her daughter a 'narcissist.'
Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
All the flashpoints of Trump's meeting with Starmer: From awkwardly slating the PM's 'pal' Sadiq Khan, and blasting UK's 'ugly' wind farms to claiming he 'never had the privilege' of visiting Jeffrey Epstein's infamous island
Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer 's sitdown in front of the world's media came in the ballroom of the President's Turnberry golf course - arranged to resemble the White House 's Oval Office. Mr Trump, unsurprisingly, did most of the talking as he freewheeled from subject to subject. Here we take a look at what he said. Sadiq Khan Mr Trump did not hold back in his criticism of Labour's mayor of London. When asked if he would head to the capital during his planned state visit in September, he said: 'I'm not a fan of your mayor. I think he's done a terrible job, the Mayor of London... a nasty person.' Sir Keir intervened to say: 'He's a friend of mine, actually.' But an undeterred Mr Trump went on to say: 'I think he's done a terrible job. But I would certainly visit London.' Wind turbines Mr Trump branded wind turbines 'ugly monsters' as he backed North Sea oil and gas during the press conference. He has long been outspoken about his dislike of wind power and strongly opposed an offshore development which is visible from his Aberdeenshire golf course. He said: 'Wind is the most expensive form of energy and it destroys the beauty of your fields, your plains and your waterways. Wind needs massive subsidy, and you are paying in Scotland and in the UK, and all over the place, massive subsidies to have these ugly monsters all over the place.' He urged the UK to exploit North Sea oil and gas. The Royals The President heaped praise on the Royal Family as 'really great people'. Mr Trump, who is known to admire the monarchy, said the UK is 'very lucky' to have the royals, before adding: 'You could have people that weren't great people.' Despite Mr Trump's 'drill, baby, drill' slogan aimed at ramping up fossil fuel extraction, he applauded the King's environmentalism. 'King Charles is an environmentalist, I will tell you. I say that in a positive way, not a negative way. Every time I've met with him he talked about the environment and how important it is and I'm all for it - I think that's great.' Starmer's wife Before the ballroom engagement, Sir Keir and Mr Trump embraced on the Turnberry steps as the Prime Minister arrived with his wife, Lady Starmer. In slightly farcical scenes, an off-the-cuff to-and-fro with the gathered media was partly drowned out by the bagpiper. But the President did make himself heard when he said he wanted to make the PM 'happy', and then, referring to Lady Starmer, said: 'She's a respected person all over the United States. I don't know what he's (Sir Keir) doing but she's very respected, as respected as him. 'I don't want to say more, I'll get myself in trouble. But she's very, she's a great woman and is very highly respected.' Farms The President appeared to criticise Labour's inheritance tax on farmers. While he did not directly mention Sir Keir's reforms to agricultural property relief, he said farmers in the US had been driven to suicide by taxes and noted that he had acted to remove levies on farmland estates, adding: 'I love our farmers.' 'They don't make a lot of money but it's a way of life and they love that dirt,' he said. Defending the policy, Sir Keir said he was trying to increase farmers' income. Epstein and Maxwell Donald Trump said he'd 'never had the privilege' of going to Jeffrey Epstein's infamous island, where sordid underage sex parties took place, attended by the rich and powerful. Epstein, he said, was 'always a very controversial guy' but he hit back at claims he had sent a suggestive birthday note to the paedophile financier, featuring the outline of a naked woman. 'I never went to the island [Little St James in the US Virgin Islands],' Mr Trump said. 'And Bill Clinton went there, supposedly, 28 times. I never went to the island... I never had the privilege. I did turn it down.' Mr Clinton has said he 'knows nothing' about Epstein's crimes, while his aides have denied he ever went to Little St James. Asked about the clamour to release the Epstein files in the possession of the FBI and in which he is said to be named, the President said: 'It's a hoax that's been built up way beyond proportion.' Of the reported birthday note, he said: 'I'm not a drawing person. I don't do drawings of women, that I can tell you.' Mr Trump also said he had not been asked to pardon Epstein madam Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite currently serving 20 years in a US prison over child sex trafficking offences. Trade with the UK Mr Trump suggested that the UK will know 'pretty soon' what tariffs will be placed on steel. He said the US wants to 'make our own steel' but did not say whether levies on UK exports will remain at the current 25 per cent, be cut or even increased. He also hinted that he may not impose heavy tariffs on British pharmaceuticals because he said he could do a deal with the UK. He said he felt a 'lot better' working with Britain than other countries. He added: 'With the relationship we have, you would not use that as a cudgel. You wouldn't be using it as a block.' Free speech Sir Keir defended the Online Safety Act following questions about whether it censored online content. The Prime Minister said that the laws were there to protect children rather than curbing freedom of speech. Last week, the law changed to require websites to check users are over 18 before allowing them to access 'harmful' material such as pornography or suicide material, with heavy fines for those that do not comply. Told that Sir Keir now has the power to censor the President's Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said: 'If you censor me, you're making a mistake.' Sir Keir replied: 'We're not censoring anyone. We've got some measures which are there to protect children, in particular, from sites like suicide sites.' He added: 'I don't see that as a free speech issue - I see that as child protection.' Love of Scotland Mr Trump spoke of his 'great love' for Scotland, as he vowed to return to the country 'once a year' for a visit. Mr Trump's mother, Mary Anne, was born in the Outer Hebrides on the Isle of Lewis. He said: 'It gives me a feeling, you know it's different, you go to another country, you have no relationship to it... but it's different when your mother was born here.' Mr Trump was asked about Scottish trade with the US, and whether there could be a different deal for products such as whisky. He replied: 'I was very particular, this is a part of the world I want to see thrive.'
Evening Standard
14 minutes ago
- Evening Standard
Starmer to convene urgent Cabinet meeting on Gaza to set out pathway to peace
'We are clear that the recognition of the Palestinian state is a matter of when, not if, but it must be one of the steps on the path to a two-state solution as part of a wider plan that delivers lasting security for both Palestinians and Israelis.'
