House Democrats are sounding early warnings that a second Trump administration will lead to major violations of Palestinian rights and undermine efforts to bring peace to the volatile Middle East.
Lawmakers believe that President-elect Trump's staunchly pro-Israel sensibilities and cozy relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not only pave the way for Israel's annexation of the West Bank, but also the possibility of closer ties between the two nations. There are concerns that this could lead to the collapse of the It is widely seen in Washington as the only viable path to lasting peace in the region.
“As President-elect Trump prepares to return to the White House, things look bleak for the Palestinian cause,” said Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.).
Democrats are particularly alarmed by President Trump's selection of Republican Mike Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas who opposes a two-state solution and denies the existence of the West Bank, to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel next year. . And President Trump's son-in-law, real estate developer Jared Kushner, lamented that Palestinians in Gaza were not developing “waterfront real estate,” which he said was “very valuable.” They noted that they assessed it as a possibility.
“Trump wants to see his son-in-law become the developer of Gaza,” Johnson argued. “This is a frightening vision of the future in terms of the two-state solution and justice that Palestinians have been fleeing since the founding of Israel.”
There is no love lost between the liberal Democrats on Capitol Hill and the conservative Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister. But tensions have risen in recent years as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has assembled the most right-wing ruling coalition in the country's history, and have been exacerbated by Israel's aggressive military response to Hamas attacks last year.
Prime Minister Netanyahu also opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state coexisting with Israel, and some members of his cabinet have openly advocated for Israel to occupy the West Bank in violation of international law.
These positions have put Israeli leaders at odds with U.S. presidents of both parties for decades. But Mr. Trump has closer ties to Mr. Netanyahu and is more sympathetic to the idea of adopting Israeli priorities as U.S. policy.
During his first term, President Trump took the unusual step of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's official state capital and moving the U.S. embassy there, a move opposed by his White House predecessors in both parties. It was controversial. And President Trump appears to be taking that aim further by naming Huckabee as America's top diplomat in the region.
A spokesperson for Trump's transition team did not respond to a request for comment. But in a recent interview with the conservative Israeli news outlet Artz Sheva, Huckabee said he had long opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state and promised that approach would remain unchanged as he heads to his new post in Jerusalem.
“This is a position that I've held for many years, and frankly, it's a position that Donald Trump has held as well, and I expect him to continue to hold it.” huckabee said.
Such statements alarmed human rights activists and many Democrats on Capitol Hill, who were already outraged by Netanyahu's use of force in Gaza. Some see this as a deliberate strategy to make relations with the Palestinians extremely strained, making it impossible to negotiate a two-state solution.
“We are witnessing settler occupation of the West Bank and settler violence, and our Netanyahu government has repeatedly said it does not support the US goal of reaching a two-state solution.” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), leader of the Congressional Progressive Party. caucus meeting.
“In reality, there is significant evidence of collective punishment being applied to the Palestinian people.”
In his first term, President Trump helped orchestrate the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and Arab states (Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates), securing a historic victory. Morocco signed it soon after.
But tensions in the region exploded late last year with Hamas attacks and Israel's fierce military response in the Gaza Strip. And some of Israel's staunchest Democratic allies, while praising President Trump's success with the Abraham Accords, say he is the right person to negotiate a peace deal that respects the human rights of all parties to the conflict. Some people are wondering if this is the case.
Moderate Rep. Brad Schneider said he was “wondered by the incoming administration's understanding of the complexities of this region of great importance to the United States, a region with a lot of history but also a lot of risk and danger.” I have great concerns.” Illinois Democrat and strong ally of Israel. “We need to work together.”
Mr. Schneider was particularly vocal against the idea of Israel annexing occupied territories such as the West Bank, the area Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Since then, about 500,000 Israelis have settled in the area, along with about 3 million Palestinians, but most countries around the world consider it occupied territory and have not succeeded in establishing a Palestinian state. We believe that this is an important part of any negotiation.
In an interview with Arz Sheva, Huckabee said that there is “no such thing” as the West Bank, which he believes was fabricated by Israel's enemies and the liberal media.
“I talk about Judea and Samaria. I tell people there are no 'professions',” he said. “This land has been ‘occupied’ by people who have done righteous deeds to the place for 3,500 years, since the time of Abraham.”
The discussion reflects the position of Prime Minister Netanyahu's finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who is leading Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and wants Israel to maintain permanent control of the region.
When asked about efforts to annex occupied territory, Schneider did not hesitate.
“They're wrong,” he said.
“The Abraham Accords, and the idea of the Abraham Accords, was new. [it was] “It should be put in writing that both Israelis and Arabs belong to the same land,” he said. “Arabs and Israelis belong to the same land and are finding ways to coexist peacefully.”
