Trump to worsen our plight: Palestinian, Lebanese victims of Israel’s wars

Deir el-Balah, Gaza, Palestine, and Beirut, Lebanon – Palestinian and Lebanese civilians are bracing for much devastation erstwhile Donald Trump begins his 2nd word arsenic president of the United States successful January.

While millions of Trump supporters observe his victory, galore successful the Middle East are looking connected with trepidation.

In Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Lebanon, determination are fears the loyal state of Israel volition embolden its premier minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and far-right conjugation authorities to escalate determination conflicts and destruct immoderate anticipation of Palestinian self-determination.

“I person nary spot successful America,” said Abu Ali, an 87-year-old successful Gaza who has been uprooted from his location similar astir radical there. “I’m expecting the warfare successful Gaza to get adjacent worse [under Trump].”

A grieving parent comforts a lad aft her lad was killed successful an Israeli onslaught successful the colony of al-Shuhada adjacent Jenin successful the Israeli-occupied West Bank [Raneen Sawafta/Reuters]

US President Joe Biden’s outgoing medication has supported Israel successful its run successful Gaza.

Since the Hamas-led attacks connected confederate Israel connected October 7, 2023, during which 1,139 radical were killed and 250 taken captive, Israel’s genocide against Palestinians successful Gaza – utilizing US weapons – has killed much than 43,000 Palestinians and uprooted astir the full colonisation of 2.3 cardinal people.

Palestinians determination fearfulness Trump volition present greenlight plans to expel them from the strip.

The Republican president-elect has accused Biden, a Democrat, of restraining Israel successful Gaza and made a vague committedness to assistance Israel to “finish the job” if re-elected.

“I don’t cognize if the concern volition amended nether Trump. He mightiness conscionable [allow Israel] to deport america each [from Gaza] alternatively of sidesplitting us,” Abu Mohamad said with a hint of sarcasm from a displacement campy successful Gaza.

Abu Ali believes Palestinians are astatine the mercy of whoever holds powerfulness successful the US.

As a subsister of the Nakba (“catastrophe”), the expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians by Zionist militias during the instauration of Israel successful 1948, helium said helium has witnessed respective US presidents enactment Israeli atrocities against his people.

He expects that inclination to proceed nether Trump and stressed that neither the Nakba nor Israel’s ongoing genocide successful Gaza should beryllium referred to arsenic a “war”.

“There are nary wars [between Israel and Palestine],” helium told Al Jazeera. “It wasn’t a warfare then. And this isn’t a warfare [in Gaza]. It’s a genocide.”

A Palestinian pistillate who mislaid members of her household successful an Israeli onslaught grieves adjacent their bodies astatine Nasser Hospital successful Khan Younis successful the confederate Gaza Strip connected November 3, 2024 [Bashar Taleb/AFP]

The presumption from Lebanon

In Lebanon, galore radical expect Trump to support oregon summation enactment for Israel’s warfare effort.

Israel claims to beryllium battling the Lebanese equipped radical Hezbollah, yet observers impeach Israel of waging a warfare against the country’s Shia community.

In Lebanon, governmental posts are allocated proportionally based connected the country’s spiritual makeup. The president is ever a Maronite Christian, the premier curate a Sunni Muslim and the talker of parliament a Shia Muslim.

Since Lebanon’s civilian war, which lasted from 1975 to 1990, Hezbollah has consolidated power implicit the Shia assemblage by mixing religion, individuality and absorption into a governmental question that has resonated with galore people. Hezbollah has besides repressed opponents.

Over the past month, Israel has escalated its warfare against Hezbollah by bombing cities and towns successful confederate Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. Residents from full villages and districts person been uprooted by Israeli fire, which has razed their homes and stoked fears of imperishable displacement.

Ali Saleem, who was forced retired of the confederate metropolis of Sour, said the warfare volition proceed nether Trump. He said the president-elect whitethorn contiguous a ceasefire connection that is favourable to Israel but not to Hezbollah oregon Lebanon.

“Trump volition enactment an connection connected the table, and he’ll say, ‘Do you privation to extremity the warfare oregon not?’” Selim, 30, told Al Jazeera. “If we accidental no, past warfare volition continue.”

Ali Aloweeya, 44, added that Trump volition apt support “Zionist interests” successful the region.

He fears Trump mightiness adjacent let Israel to effort to physique amerciable settlements successful confederate Lebanon, arsenic immoderate far-right Israeli activists and governmental officials person called for.

“If Trump returns and works again for the interests of the Israelis, past we volition resist. We are a radical of resistance.”

A pistillate successful beforehand of a bombed subdivision of the al-Qard al-Hassan concern radical successful al-Shiyah, Beirut, Lebanon [File: Wael Hamzeh/EPA-EFE]

Fear of annexation

During Trump’s archetypal statesmanlike word from 2017 to 2021, helium adopted measures that harmed Palestinians successful the occupied territory and surrounding region.

He chopped disconnected US funds to the UN Palestinian assistance bureau (UNRWA) and broke with decades of argumentation by moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Palestinians saw the moves arsenic an effort to upend their close to instrumentality to their homeland – arsenic stipulated successful UN Resolution 194 – and unit them to surrender occupied East Jerusalem arsenic the superior of a aboriginal Palestinian state.

Israel annexed East Jerusalem and occupied Arab lands aft defeating Arab armies successful the Six-Day War successful 1967.

Tasame Ramadan, a Palestinian quality rights activist, present fears Trump whitethorn let Israel to  annex ample swaths of the West Bank. Activists, analysts and rights groups said Israel has de facto done so already.

“As Palestinians, we don’t expect thing affirmative from Trump. His decisions are unpredictable, but helium often ignores Palestinian voices, and his decisions person lasting interaction connected Palestinians,” said Ramadan, who lives successful Nablus, a metropolis successful the West Bank.

She noted that Trump successful 2019 recognised Israel’s sovereignty implicit Syria’s occupied Golan Heights, contravening planetary law.

She’s preparing for akin policies that could harm – adjacent termination – Palestinian aspirations for self-determination.

“Trump’s enactment ignores our rights and our hopes for state and for a sovereign Palestinian state,” she told Al Jazeera.

“But I don’t deliberation Palestinians would beryllium blessed if [US Vice President Kamala] Harris had won the predetermination either. She deserved to suffer owed to her stance connected the concern successful Palestine and not stopping the genocide.

“In some cases, neither of these 2 [candidates] were our champion options.”