Throughout the closing weeks of the 2024 United States presidential race, former President Donald Trump spoke with sympathy to Arab American and Muslim voters enraged by the nation’s help for Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
Trump visited Dearborn, Michigan, often known as the “capital” of Arab America. And he spoke on to Lebanese Individuals fearing for his or her households abroad.
“During my Administration, we had peace in the Middle East, and we will have peace again very soon!” Trump wrote on social media.
“I will fix the problems caused by [Vice President] Kamala Harris and [President] Joe Biden and stop the suffering and destruction in Lebanon. I want to see the Middle East return to real peace, a lasting peace.”
However following a thumping victory on the polls, Trump is making ready to return to the White Home with a coterie of a number of the Republican Social gathering’s most vehemently pro-Israel figures.
Whereas some critics speculated that Trump would transfer away from a hawkish international coverage, his picks for key administration and cupboard positions have signalled that — no matter modifications could come throughout his second time period — a break with Israel shouldn’t be prone to be amongst them.
A number of of Trump’s nominees not solely help continued US navy and diplomatic help for Israel, but additionally echo the views and objectives of Israeli ultranationalists, who help the enlargement of unlawful Israeli settlements into Palestinian territory.
In the meantime, the struggle in Gaza continues to drive civilian casualties, with at the very least 43,799 killed because the battle started in October 2023. A current report from a United Nations particular committee discovered that Israel’s strategies within the Palestinian enclave had been “according to genocide“.
What have Trump’s high-level picks stated concerning the ongoing battle within the Center East? Listed here are a number of of his nominees, in their very own phrases.
US Senator Marco Rubio speaks to the media throughout a 2016 information convention on the Temple Beth El in West Palm Seashore, Florida [File: Joe Raedle/Getty Images via AFP]
Marco Rubio, nominee to be secretary of state
A longtime international coverage hawk, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida has been a robust supporter of Israel all through his political profession. He’s in line to be secretary of state, the US’s prime diplomat.
February 26, 2016: Rubio made a bid for president in 2016, dealing with a crowded pool of Republican candidates together with Trump. At a Republican major debate in Houston, Texas, he emphasised that he would “stand firmly on the side of Israel” — and used his place to attract a distinction with Trump.
“I don’t know if Donald realises this. I’m sure it’s not his intent, perhaps. But the position you’ve taken is an anti-Israel position. And here’s why. Because you cannot be an honest broker in a dispute between two sides in which one of the sides is constantly acting in bad faith,” Rubio stated.
“Instead, here’s what the Palestinians do. They teach their four-year-old children that killing Jews is a glorious thing. Here’s what Hamas does. They launch rockets and terrorist attacks against Israel on an ongoing basis. The bottom line is, a deal between Israel and the Palestinians — given the current makeup of the Palestinians — is not possible.”
October 9, 2023: Rubio reacted to the October 7 assaults in southern Israel by calling for an amazing navy response.
“Israel has no choice but to seek the complete eradication of Hamas in Gaza. There simply is no diplomatic solution or ‘measured response’ available,” Rubio wrote on social media.
“This tragically necessary effort will come at a horrifying price. But the price of failing to permanently eliminate this group of sadistic savages is even more horrifying.”
November 2024: Confronted with activists from the antiwar group Code Pink, Rubio responded forcefully to questions on whether or not he would help a ceasefire in Gaza.
“Are you filming this? I want you guys to get this. I want them to destroy every element of Hamas they can get their hands on. These people are vicious animals who did horrifying crimes,” Rubio stated.
August 30, 2024: Rubio despatched a letter to the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden criticising the choice to sanction Israeli settlers linked to anti-Palestinian violence within the occupied West Financial institution.
“Israel has consistently sought peace with the Palestinians. It is unfortunate that the Palestinians, whether it be the Palestinian Authority or FTOs [Foreign Terrorist Organisations] such as Hamas, have rejected such overtures,” Rubio wrote.
“Israelis rightfully living in their historic homeland are not the impediment to peace; the Palestinians are.”
Fox anchor Pete Hegseth at Fox Information Channel Studios on August 09, 2019, in New York [John Lamparski/Getty Images]
Pete Hegseth, nominee for secretary of defence
A US Military veteran who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, Fox Information host Pete Hegseth has been tapped to move the Division of Protection, in one of many nation’s highest-ranking navy positions. If Hegseth is confirmed, solely the president himself would have extra authority over the armed forces.
September 14, 2016: In an interview with the Jewish Press, Hegseth defined that he grew up a Baptist and by no means met a Jewish individual till attending school. However he accused larger training of spreading the “seeds of anti-Semitism”.
“We have to be more willing to publicly talk about Israel among citizens who think of it as an abstraction, who don’t truly understand the existential threat to it,” Hegseth stated.
“This is not some mystical land that can be dismissed. It’s the story of God’s chosen people.”
February 2018: Talking on the Arutz Sheva Convention in Jerusalem, Hegseth pledged to proceed “fighting the fake news about the Arab-Israeli conflict”.
He additionally appeared to endorse demolishing the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of many holiest websites in Islam, to make room for a “Third Temple”, a longstanding aim of Israeli ultranationalists and evangelical Christians.
“If you walk the ground today, you understand there is no such thing as the outcome of a two-state solution. There is one state,” Hegseth stated.
He then proceeded to explain a go to to the Al-Aqsa website, also referred to as the Temple Mount: “And as you stand there, you can’t help but behold the miracle before you. And it got me thinking about another miracle that I hope all of you don’t see too far away. Because 1917 was a miracle. 1948 was a miracle. 1967 was a miracle. 2017, the declaration of Jerusalem as the capital, was a miracle. And there’s no reason why the miracle of the re-establishment of the temple on the Temple Mount is not possible.”
Could 2018: Talking along with his co-hosts on the TV programme Fox & Associates, Hegseth appeared to brush off the Palestinian demise toll through the Nice March of Return protests. When confronted with the likelihood that Israeli snipers had fired on “innocent people”, together with youngsters, Hegseth shrugged and stated, “Meh.”
“The innocent blood is on the hands of the terrorist who put the kid out to charge a fence with no prospect of crossing that border,” he stated.
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee visits an enclave of Jewish settlers referred to as Maale HaZeitim within the Ras Alamud neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem on August 17, 2009 [David Furst/AFP]
Mike Huckabee, nominee for US ambassador to Israel
A former Arkansas governor who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2008 and 2016, Mike Huckabee is an evangelical Christian and robust supporter of “Greater Israel”, a time period usually used to explain the proposed Israeli annexation of Palestinian territory.
Early 2008: At a marketing campaign cease throughout his first bid for the presidency, Huckabee argued that being Palestinian was a made-up identification.
“I have to be careful saying this because people will really get offended. There is really no such thing as a Palestinian,” Huckabee stated. “You have Arabs and Persians. And you have such complexity within that. There’s really no such thing. That’s been a political tool to try to force land away from Israel.”
Could 31, 2015: Talking at an Israel Day live performance, Huckabee mirrored on his first journey to Israel in 1973. He proceeded to say that Israel had no “better friend in the United States” than him and refuted Palestinian claims to Jerusalem.
“I know there are people who think that the smart way to bring peace to the Middle East is to divide Jerusalem up and give away more territory. I suggest that the one way to have peace is to make clear that Jerusalem will never be divided, and it will be in the hands of Israel.”
“We never can accept the notion that Israel will be divided, that Jerusalem will be carved in half. Let us be clear: The boundaries of Israel are not given by the United Nations but by almighty God.”
August 18, 2015: Throughout a information convention on the unlawful Israeli settlement of Shiloh, Huckabee endorsed a imaginative and prescient of Israel that included the occupied West Financial institution, calling the realm by the biblical title “Judea and Samaria”. He additionally denounced a deal to include Iran’s nuclear programme.
“I want to show solidarity with the country that most reflects a mirror image of the American spirit and also to show solidarity with the Israeli people and to show their extreme disgust with any deal with Iran.”
“I would think that, if you’re going to visit Israel, you should visit all of Israel. And that should include Judea and Samaria.”
February 29, 2024: Huckabee advised the Worldwide Fellowship of Christians and Jews that he was overwhelmed with emotion after the October 7 assaults on southern Israel. He additionally described Israel’s unlawful settlements within the West Financial institution because the fulfilment of biblical prophecy.
“This is evil. The worst level of evil that exists on our planet today, we saw on October 7. And for anyone to march in the streets, whether it’s America or Europe, and show support for this uncivilised and savage behaviour, to me, is a mark of darkness in our world.”
“When people use the term ‘occupy’, I say, ‘Yeah, Israel is occupying the land.’ But it’s the occupation of a land that God gave them 3,500 years ago. It is their land. The title deed was given by God to Abraham and to his heirs. So you want to talk occupation? I never use the term West Bank. I find it offensive. We’re talking about Judea and Samaria.”
“As horrible as the Nazis were, they weren’t posting their atrocities on social media and trying to trumpet what they were doing to the world, which is what makes this horrendous thing Hamas has done so much, to me, worse.”
US Consultant Elise Stefanik speaks throughout a information convention on Could 16 in Washington, DC [Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via AFP]
Elise Stefanik, nominee for ambassador to the UN
A congresswoman from New York, Stefanik went viral final 12 months throughout congressional hearings about anti-Semitism on school campuses: Her blunt questioning of a number of college leaders helped precipitate a number of resignations.
Critics say it additionally contributed to harsh crackdowns on pro-Palestine scholar demonstrators, as Stefanik conflated protest slogans like “From the River to the Sea” with requires anti-Semitic genocide.
Could 19, 2024: Stefanik travelled to the Israeli Knesset to ship an handle during which she described Israel’s struggle on Gaza as an ethical campaign. She additionally referred to as for the withdrawal of US funds from UNRWA, the UN company for Palestinian refugees.
“What we are witnessing today is a story of the forces of good versus evil. The forces of civilisation against the forces of barbarism, of humanity versus depravity.”
“For years, I have been a leading proponent and partner to President Trump in his historic support for Israeli independence and security including… President Trump’s wise decision to call out UNRWA for what it is — a hive of anti-Semitism — and to eliminate every dollar of its US funding.”
September 23, 2024: Following a UN Common Meeting vote calling on Israel to finish its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory, Stefanik launched an announcement condemning the proceedings.
“Last week, the United Nations overwhelmingly passed a disgraceful antisemitic resolution to demand that Israel surrender to barbaric terrorists who seek the destruction of both Israel and America.”
Consultant Michael Waltz talking through the first day of the Republican Nationwide Conference on July 15 in Milwaukee, Wisconson [J Scott Applewhite/AP Photo]
Mike Waltz, appointee for nationwide safety adviser
A member of the Home of Representatives and a former Inexperienced Beret, Consultant Mike Waltz of Florida has expressed agency help for Israel. He at the moment serves on the Home Armed Companies Committee. He beforehand chided the Biden administration for offering Israel with inadequate help.
August 16, 2019: In an look on Fox Information, Waltz expressed his help for Israel’s resolution to bar his congressional colleagues Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar from getting into the nation over their help for the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) motion.
Tlaib, a Palestinian American, was later provided a “humanitarian” go to, which she rejected.
“If they want to do a separate trip, then still hear all sides. Hear the Israeli government. Hear from the Israeli settlers. Hear from farmers, like I said, who are under rocket attack. And also go to the Palestinian Authority. But that wasn’t their agenda. Their agenda was only to hear one side,” Waltz stated.
Of the BDS motion, Waltz added: “It’s directed directly at Jerusalem. It’s directed directly because they’re Jews. And it’s anti-Semitic. And I think that is completely reasonable for the Israeli government to say, ‘Hey, you don’t want to hear our point of view. Access denied.’”
August 17, 2024: In one other interview with Fox Information, Waltz approvingly famous that, when Trump was in workplace, the Iranian financial system was “broke” and was “in shambles” resulting from crushing sanctions.
He additionally credited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “strong actions” with containing the menace represented by Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“I think it’s Bibi that is deterring Iran right now, because just a few weeks ago, they had a house in the middle of Tehran, under the protective umbrella of the IRGC during a presidential inauguration, go boom and take out Hamas’s political leader [Ismail] Haniyeh.”
October 25, 2024: Following Israeli strikes on Iran, Waltz famous in a social media submit that Israel had prevented focusing on oil fields and nuclear services.
“This might be Israel’s last best chance to diminish Irans [sic] nuclear program and shut down their cash. Did Biden/Harris pressure Israel once again to do less than it should?”
