By Shahrokh Saei

Trump's Gaza pledge: A distraction from his hidden agenda 

November 11, 2024 - 21:52

TEHRAN- US President-elect Donald Trump has doubled down on his pledge to end Israel’s war on Gaza despite consistently backing the apartheid regime throughout his first presidential term.

The incoming American president told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a phone call last week that he will work to end the Gaza onslaught. 

Regardless of the sincerity of Trump’s pledge, his role in emboldening the Zionist regime to press ahead with its brutalities against Palestinians will never slide into oblivion. 

During his first term as president (2017-2021), Trump recognized Jerusalem (al-Quds) as the capital of Israel and moved the US embassy there. 

Trump, a former reality star, became the first and only foreign leader to recognize Israel’s control of the Golan Heights, which it seized from Syria in the 1967 war. Israel annexed the Golan, a strategic plateau overlooking northern Israel, in 1981 in a move that was not internationally recognized.

Trump’s sponsorship of the Abraham Accords, which led to the normalization of ties between Israel and some Arab states also served as a present for Israel. Palestinians described the move by these Arab states as an act of betrayal and a stab in the back of their cause. 

Trump, in fact, poured cold water on the aspirations of those who were under the illusion that talks with Israel could lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.  
Undoubtedly, Trump will continue to throw his weight behind Israel during his second presidential term. 

The political affiliation of the US presidents, whether Republican or Democrat, does not influence the support for Israel.

Since Israel launched war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, the administration of incumbent President Joe Biden has spent a record of around $18 billion on military aid to the regime.

Israel initiated the war after Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm. It was a military attack that shattered the image of Israel’s invincibility. The Hamas operation also brought the Palestinian cause to the fore which had been ignored by the US and its allies. 

Since the start of the war, Israel has failed to deliver on its military goals. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to “destroy” Hamas by achieving “total victory” over the resistance group. But Israeli military officials have admitted that the regime will be unable to do so. 

Israel has slaughtered more than 43,600 Palestinians in Gaza since October last year but it has failed to bring the Palestinian resistance to its knees. 

To divert attention from its military setbacks in Gaza, Israel launched a deadly massive bombing campaign in Lebanon in mid-September. 

The Netanyahu regime is now sinking deeper into the quagmire of the Gaza war.  Trump’s pledge to end the war is only an attempt to salvage the regime. He wants to ensure that the Zionist entity will continue to exist in the face of failures on the battlefield. 

For now, Israel has been caught between a rock and a hard place. 

If the Gaza war ended, it would mean that Israel has failed to achieve its goals. That would represent a significant triumph for the Palestinians and resistance groups. 

In case the conflict is prolonged, Israel's survival will be increasingly jeopardized in the face of growing resistance against the regime’s warmongering. 

Trump beat Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election last week. But it stands out a mile that the policy of the White House toward Israel will remain unchanged. Trump like his processor Biden only pays lip service.