Israel hails Trump victory and escalates assaults
When he was last president, Trump tried to isolate Palestinians and hand more land to Israel
By Arthur Townend
Wednesday 06 November 2024
SOCIALIST WORKER Issue
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US president-elect Donald Trump are united against Palestinians (Picture: Flickr/Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu led world leaders in congratulating Donald Trump on his victory in the United States presidential election.
He hailed it as “history’s greatest comeback” that “offers a “powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America”.
Netanyahu sees Trump’s victory as an opportunity to ramp up Israel’s genocide in Gaza, its slaughter in Lebanon and its warmongering with Iran.
He knows that Trump is a hard line supporter of Israel. When Trump was last president, he moved the US embassy to Jerusalem in an open provocation. He pushed the Abraham Accords in 2020 to “normalise” relations between Israel and Arab regimes and isolate the Palestinians.
His “deal of the century” in 2020 gave a green light to Israel to annex more Palestinian territories, allowing it to escalate its violent settler-colonial project.
And hours after Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, he said, “I kept Israel safe, remember that. I kept Israel safe. Nobody else will, nobody else can.”
On Tuesday, under the cover of the US election, Netanyahu fired Yoav Gallant as Israeli defence minister.
Gallant is a racist war criminal who called Palestinians “human animals”—and, most recently, ordered a siege of northern Gaza. “The security of Israel has been and will always be my lifelong mission,” he said following his dismissal.
Gallant said he clashed with Netanyahu over prioritising the return of Israeli hostages from Gaza, and drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military. They’ve been exempted from military service since 1948 so they can continue religious studies.
The former defence minister approved sending 7,000 draft notices to ultra-Orthodox Jews. But Netanyahu’s coalition government includes two right wing religious parties opposed to any changes to exemptions.
Gallant criticised Netanyahu, claiming that the invasion of Gaza didn’t focus enough on returning Israeli hostages. Netanyahu previously refused to enter into negotiations with Hamas over a hostage and ceasefire deal.
President Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris supported Gallant because the hostages provided a political excuse for their continued support for genocide.
The sacking of Gallant shows a deeper crisis of Israel. It has turned Gaza into hell on earth, but hasn’t decisively defeated the Palestinian resistance. Despite a year of destruction, it is clear that Netanyahu does not have a clear end game.
Sections of Netanyahu’s coalition want to expel Palestinians from Gaza and permanently occupy it. But the US has opposed Israel “transferring” Palestinians to Arab states such as Egypt, fearing it would destabilise those regimes.
The Israeli military and intelligence establishments don’t want to manage a bloody permanent occupation.
Netanyahu’s lack of a clear endgame drives divisions inside Israel—and the terror state’s genocidal logic.
His firing of Gallant is a way to remove opposition in the Israeli cabinet. Nadav Shtrauchler, a former strategist for Netanyahu, said, “Netanyahu saw Gallant as the opposition within his own coalition. Now, it will be easier for him to go in his own direction, not just politically, but militarily and strategically.”
In Gallant’s place, Netanyahu has put former foreign minister Israel Katz. He was a key architect of the push for the West to defund the United Nations Palestine refugee aid agency Unrwa.
Netanyahu’s move has enraged some Israelis. On Tuesday, tens of thousands poured onto Israel’s streets to support Gallant and to demand a return of the hostages. But these demonstrations are Zionist through and through.
Trump’s new presidency puts the Middle East in a perilous position. The US has been unwavering in its support for Israel, but Trump could drop any pretence of reining in Netanyahu’s genocidal rampage.
Lindsey German, Stop The War Coalition convenor in Britain, said, “A Harris victory would not have stopped Israel’s genocide in Gaza or drive to war across the Middle East.
“But Trump’s racism, Islamophobia and bigotry, and his close relationship with Netanyahu could well enable Israel to pursue its desire for full control of Gaza and the West Bank.
“We face an extremely dangerous situation worldwide, with a growing arms race. We in the anti-war movement must redouble our efforts to end the genocide and wars in the Middle East.
“We also need peace in Ukraine, for the west to stop arming Ukraine, and for an end to the escalation of militarism and conflict aimed at China in the Pacific.”
It’s vital for the Palestine and anti-war movements to keep mobilising on the streets. Join the workplace day of action on Thursday 28 November called by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop The War and others. Go to Stop The War for more details
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu led world leaders in congratulating Donald Trump on his victory in the United States presidential election.
He hailed it as “history’s greatest comeback” that “offers a “powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America”.
Netanyahu sees Trump’s victory as an opportunity to ramp up Israel’s genocide in Gaza, its slaughter in Lebanon and its warmongering with Iran.
He knows that Trump is a hard line supporter of Israel. When Trump was last president, he moved the US embassy to Jerusalem in an open provocation. He pushed the Abraham Accords in 2020 to “normalise” relations between Israel and Arab regimes and isolate the Palestinians.
His “deal of the century” in 2020 gave a green light to Israel to annex more Palestinian territories, allowing it to escalate its violent settler-colonial project.
And hours after Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, he said, “I kept Israel safe, remember that. I kept Israel safe. Nobody else will, nobody else can.”
On Tuesday, under the cover of the US election, Netanyahu fired Yoav Gallant as Israeli defence minister.
Gallant is a racist war criminal who called Palestinians “human animals”—and, most recently, ordered a siege of northern Gaza. “The security of Israel has been and will always be my lifelong mission,” he said following his dismissal.
Gallant said he clashed with Netanyahu over prioritising the return of Israeli hostages from Gaza, and drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military. They’ve been exempted from military service since 1948 so they can continue religious studies.
The former defence minister approved sending 7,000 draft notices to ultra-Orthodox Jews. But Netanyahu’s coalition government includes two right wing religious parties opposed to any changes to exemptions.
Gallant criticised Netanyahu, claiming that the invasion of Gaza didn’t focus enough on returning Israeli hostages. Netanyahu previously refused to enter into negotiations with Hamas over a hostage and ceasefire deal.
President Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris supported Gallant because the hostages provided a political excuse for their continued support for genocide.
The sacking of Gallant shows a deeper crisis of Israel. It has turned Gaza into hell on earth, but hasn’t decisively defeated the Palestinian resistance. Despite a year of destruction, it is clear that Netanyahu does not have a clear end game.
Sections of Netanyahu’s coalition want to expel Palestinians from Gaza and permanently occupy it. But the US has opposed Israel “transferring” Palestinians to Arab states such as Egypt, fearing it would destabilise those regimes.
The Israeli military and intelligence establishments don’t want to manage a bloody permanent occupation.
Netanyahu’s lack of a clear endgame drives divisions inside Israel—and the terror state’s genocidal logic.
His firing of Gallant is a way to remove opposition in the Israeli cabinet. Nadav Shtrauchler, a former strategist for Netanyahu, said, “Netanyahu saw Gallant as the opposition within his own coalition. Now, it will be easier for him to go in his own direction, not just politically, but militarily and strategically.”
In Gallant’s place, Netanyahu has put former foreign minister Israel Katz. He was a key architect of the push for the West to defund the United Nations Palestine refugee aid agency Unrwa.
Netanyahu’s move has enraged some Israelis. On Tuesday, tens of thousands poured onto Israel’s streets to support Gallant and to demand a return of the hostages. But these demonstrations are Zionist through and through.
Trump’s new presidency puts the Middle East in a perilous position. The US has been unwavering in its support for Israel, but Trump could drop any pretence of reining in Netanyahu’s genocidal rampage.
Lindsey German, Stop The War Coalition convenor in Britain, said, “A Harris victory would not have stopped Israel’s genocide in Gaza or drive to war across the Middle East.
“But Trump’s racism, Islamophobia and bigotry, and his close relationship with Netanyahu could well enable Israel to pursue its desire for full control of Gaza and the West Bank.
“We face an extremely dangerous situation worldwide, with a growing arms race. We in the anti-war movement must redouble our efforts to end the genocide and wars in the Middle East.
“We also need peace in Ukraine, for the west to stop arming Ukraine, and for an end to the escalation of militarism and conflict aimed at China in the Pacific.”
It’s vital for the Palestine and anti-war movements to keep mobilising on the streets. Join the workplace day of action on Thursday 28 November called by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop The War and others. Go to Stop The War for more details
No comments:
Post a Comment