If anybody was able to cheer a Donald Trump reelection, it was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Despite their relationship cooling towards the tip of Trump’s first time period notably after Netanyahu rapidly congratulated Joe Biden on his 2020 win, a gesture Trump took as traitorous, the 2 share deep ideological ties. This time round, Netanyahu did not wait. He enthusiastically hailed Trump’s “greatest comeback” even earlier than the Nov. 5 outcomes had been closing. Adding to the refrain, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz, eagerly celebrated Trump’s potential return as an opportunity to strike on the “axis of evil led by Iran.”
– Trump’s overseas coverage agenda will resume from the place it paused in 2020
For Netanyahu, a second Trump time period guarantees a renewed alignment on Middle Eastern coverage, with each leaders seeing eye to eye on pushing again in opposition to all anti-Israel components. During his marketing campaign, Trump promoted a message of peace, calling for an finish to conflicts worldwide. Now, with Israel’s current Gaza offensive following the lethal Oct. 7 Hamas assaults, Trump has not directly endorsed Israel’s intent to “finish the job” in opposition to Hamas, although specifics of his plan stay undefined. His longstanding alliance with Netanyahu is more likely to affect his strategy, particularly given Trump’s earlier help for Israeli claims over Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.
Trump has floated concepts for formidable developments in Gaza however has not articulated a transparent technique for postwar restoration. Meanwhile, ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah add to the complexities Trump will face when he takes cost of the White House. Though his earlier time period supplies some precedent, resembling his stance on Israel-Palestine, United States (US)-Gulf relations, and Iran, Trump’s America First philosophy could mood his regional technique, making it a bit tough to foretell the precise course he would soak up his second time period.
Donald Trump’s election because the forty seventh president is hardly surprising in right now’s polarized America, with the Democrats stumbling via mishap after mishap. But as he heads again to the Oval Office, anticipate the return of his signature slogans, “America First” and “Make America Great Again,” which could sound reassuring to some however will doubtless do little for instant, widespread progress. Trump’s overseas coverage agenda will resume from the place it paused in 2020, with unfinished business involving China, Russia, and the US allies within the European Union (EU) and NATO.
Yet, the panorama is much from what it was. Today, he steps right into a world nonetheless roiling from energetic conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine, fueled by Biden’s funding and arms offers. Trump, in his Florida victory speech, pledged to “stop war,” hinting at cease-fires and peace offers as his subsequent daring strikes. Still, let’s not get forward of ourselves. By his January inauguration, the Biden administration could effectively squeeze in symbolic gestures, perhaps a cease-fire try or govt orders with restricted impression.
– Renewed antagonism towards worldwide establishments
In 2018, President Trump made a scurrilous transfer to halt US funding for the UN company for Palestine refugees (UNRWA). While President Biden partially reversed this choice in 2021, the return of Trump to the White House in 2025 raises the specter of renewed antagonism towards worldwide establishments like UNRWA.
This spells bother for displaced Palestinians who rely closely on the company for important companies, together with well being care and training. With Gaza within the grip of an Israeli assault that has already claimed over 44,000 lives, together with 28,000 girls and youngsters, the position of UNRWA has by no means been extra very important. The company is combating to keep up its operations amid the chaos, however its future is more and more unsure.
Just final week, Israel compounded the disaster by canceling its cooperation settlement with UNRWA, which had been in place since 1967. Should Trump minimize US funding once more, it might ship a devastating blow from which the company could by no means get better. The Palestinian management and the worldwide neighborhood should brace for this chance.
– Region faces new layer of unpredictability
Betting on a Trump presidency to convey stability to the Middle East looks as if a daring however dangerous wager. Trump’s deep ties to Israel and influential figures there provide little promise for a greater future for Palestinians or a tangible path towards statehood. Trump’s previous dealings with Gulf monarchies and strongmen recommend he could revert to a transactional playbook. When the Trump’s second period resumes, two key priorities are more likely to form his strategy to the area. First, he would nearly actually focus much less on long-term peace and extra on short-term geopolitical wins, hoping regional gamers will shoulder duties usually held by Washington. Yet, in a area as complicated because the Middle East, the stakes stay excessive, and the outcomes are removed from assured.
Trump’s imaginative and prescient of regional order within the Middle East has been rooted within the thought of Arab-Israeli normalization, with US help enjoying a central position. This framework sidelines the Palestinian problem, granting Israel a major diploma of freedom in its actions. Both Trump and Biden, regardless of their variations, have adhered to components of this broader technique, with every president navigating the complexities of the area in their very own method. Trump’s abrupt withdrawal from Syria and Biden’s hasty exit from Afghanistan mirror a standard thread: a bent to retreat from direct US involvement with out resolving the underlying points.
With a second Trump time period, the area faces a brand new layer of unpredictability. Trump’s impulsiveness and erratic decision-making might both escalate tensions pushing Israel and Iran towards open battle or, conversely, present a possibility to de-escalate the state of affairs. This volatility reinforces the notion amongst regional actors {that a} cautious, balancing strategy could stay essentially the most prudent technique. The area’s energy gamers are more likely to proceed hedging their bets, getting ready for a future the place the US position stays as unpredictable as ever.
* This article has been penned by Imran Khalid — a geostrategic analyst and freelance columnist on worldwide affairs — for Türkiye’s state-run news company.
Source: www.anews.com.tr