Trump’s return to White House creates uncertainty for Israelis and Palestinians

(WASHINGTON) — The upcoming change in the White House is sparking uncertainty for the Middle East. President-elect Donald Trump might be a familiar face (and a historically friendly one for the Israelis), but what he will do to address the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian territories remains unclear.

During his first term, Trump moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in a deeply symbolic show of support for Israel. The decision created anger among Palestinians, since it effectively recognized the city as Israel’s capital.

Jerusalem lies at the heart of the near-century-old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, since it stands as a powerful political and religious symbol for both sides. Palestinian protests over the move spread to Gaza and the West Bank, turning deadly as demonstrators clashed with the Israeli military.

Many Israelis welcome Trump’s return to the White House. In his first term, Trump became the first Western leader to officially recognize Israel’s control over the Golan Heights, which it seized from Syria in 1967. And, as a thank you, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renamed a planned settlement in the area “Trump Heights” in 2019.

Some members of the Israeli government hope Trump will go a step further when he returns to the White House on Jan. 20. Days after Trump won the presidential election, Bezalel Smotrich — Israel’s far-right finance minister — announced at a press conference that he’s ordered preparations for the annexation of settlements in the West Bank.

“I intend, with God’s help, to lead a government decision that says the government of Israel will work with the new administration of President Trump and the international community to apply Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria,” he said in Hebrew.

Smotrich referred to the West Bank as Judea and Samaria, a reference to ancient Israelite kingdoms as some Israelis assert that the area is a historic Jewish homeland.

Smotrich’s plan would effectively cement the West Bank as Israeli territory, despite the occupied land being part of what would form a Palestinian state.

Official U.S. policy has always been in favor of a two-state solution, meaning it supports the creation of a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel. Trump’s appointment of Mike Huckabee — the former governor of Arkansas and a staunch supporter of Israel’s expansion ambitions — as ambassador to Israel has thrown continued commitment to that policy into question.

In the West Bank village of Al-Makhrour, a Christian area west of Bethlehem, local woman Alice Kasiya is holding out hope for better days under Trump. Her family’s land was seized by Israeli settlers at the end of July. In a video posted to social media, she said 50 Israeli soldiers sealed off the area as bulldozers drove through.

“He’s a business guy. He had many peace agreements with other countries before, in his presidential time,” she told ABC News. “And I know everyone says no, it will, it will be worse with him, but I believe it will be better. He’s a good guy.”

Kasiya, who’s been arrested three times while protesting, said she believes the situation can’t get any worse. She noted that Israeli settler expansionism has accelerated dramatically since Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

“We have seen many settlers coming and trying to take over lands, ” she said. “So it’s like cancer. They are spreading. They put the first step and they will keep moving around until they get everything slowly, slowly.”

Kasiya also warned that what happens in her area reverberates far and wide.

“It’s not for us only, it’s for the whole world,” she told ABC News. “Because this city is the Holy City that affects the whole world. If it’s not in peace, nowhere else will be living in peace.”

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