Everyone laughed at the prospect of President-Elect Donald Trump being able to solve several major geopolitical conflicts within days of taking office in January.
And, at least from the first indications of how that might play out, The Donald may end up being wrong. Because at least one might end up being solved sooner than that.
According to Newsweek, a senior Hamas official — one of the few that apparently hasn’t been “compromised to a permanent end,” to quote the epigrammatical John Cena — wants to put an end to the war in Israel posthaste now that the president-elect isn’t Kamala Harris and Joe Biden will be vacating the premises in just a few months.
“The election of Trump as the 47th president of the USA is a private matter for the Americans,” said Basem Naomi, a Hamas political bureau member and spokesman.
“But Palestinians look forward to an immediate cessation of the aggression against our people, especially in Gaza, and look for assistance in achieving their legitimate rights of freedom, independence, and the establishment of their independent self-sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital.
“The blind support for the Zionist entity ‘Israel’ and its fascist government, at the expense of the future of our people and the security and stability of the region, must stop immediately,” he added.
Now, this is pretty much a pro forma statement of Hamas grievances, but if you look through the agitprop for domestic consumption, the bottom line is this: They don’t want to fight anymore now that Donald Trump is going to be the one conferring with our allies in Israel about how to further discharge military operations in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
And while Trump remains a steadfast ally of Israel, Newsweek also noted that he “has also expressed criticism of Netanyahu’s wartime leadership and has called for a timely end to the conflict.”
One unnamed Israeli official talked to Newsweek and said that “maintaining and building upon the special relationship between the U.S. and Israel has been a bipartisan feature of American politics since the founding of the Jewish state.”
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“We have no doubt that this will continue to be the case,” the official noted.
“Going forward, we look forward to a strong working relationship with his administration to bring about a more peaceful, secure and prosperous Middle East.”
And despite the criticism, it’s worth noting that Netanyahu made sure to be one of the first to congratulate Trump on his victory.
“Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America,” the Israeli prime minister said in a Wednesday statement.
The two sides also said, during a phone conversation, that they “agreed to work together for Israel’s security, and also discussed the Iranian threat.”
Leave alone the usual saber-rattling about the Zionist agenda and Israeli fascism; the clear indication is that Hamas wants this wrapped up early in the Trump administration, if not before. Given how long they’ve held out, this is a key development — and one they’re not making because they believe that Trump is going to give into concessions, or force Israel to.
They know a Trump administration means a more hawkish tone on Israel and Iran, which funds Hamas and Hezbollah as proxy forces. They want out before they find out what it means.
And if you think this will be the only concession made to the president-elect, my guess is that you’re woefully underestimating how much the Biden administration’s geopolitical impotence has played into the hands of America’s enemies. It’s early days, but I’d be more than willing to wager that foreign belligerents suddenly start listening to what’s coming out of Washington again. Just call it a hunch.
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