Former US officials have ruled out a change in US policy on the Palestinian issue in the post-Gaza war period, whether Republican Donald Trump is re-elected president or his rival Kamala Harris wins the upcoming elections.
This came in the program “From Washington” presented by the media figure Abdul Rahim Faqara and broadcast exclusively on the “Tel Aviv Tribune 360” platform (to watch the full episode, please click here).
In this context, former US State Department official Nabil Khoury says that there are slight differences between the Democratic and Republican parties in US foreign policy, especially Israel’s war on Gaza and Lebanon.
“There is blind loyalty to Israel from both parties,” he added, ruling out a diplomatic solution that would spare the region a major war, and ruling out any change in US policy in the coming few years.
He pointed out that the last American administration that was seriously seeking to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was the Bill Clinton administration, noting that after the assassination of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, it was no longer possible to talk about that.
Since then, there has been no longer any possibility of establishing a Palestinian state, according to Khoury, who stressed that the situation has become much more difficult after the complete destruction of Gaza and the Israeli right’s determination to seize more land and settle there.
Khoury stressed that Donald Trump’s victory means additional support for Israel, describing him as having “sold the land and received the price in advance with his son-in-law Jared Kushner,” while Kamala Harris will not be able to confront Israel or the Israeli lobby.
He pointed out a problem facing the Democrats, which is the absence of any intention to use real pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who does not want a ceasefire, suggesting that aid will continue to be provided without a positive result.
He concluded that the Biden-Harris administration did not put real pressure on Netanyahu and things are now more difficult in the election campaign, while acknowledging that Harris shows sympathy for the Palestinians but will not use the halt to arms shipments to pressure Israel.
Strategic thinking not tactical
In turn, Adam Clements, former director of policy and strategy at the US Department of Defense, said that Harris’ policies in the Middle East are still unknown, noting that the matter depends on the institutions in the US government and who leads them.
Clements acknowledged that any American administration would be affected by Israeli domestic policies, while pointing out that any future Democratic administration would think about what needs to be changed after the end of the Gaza war and how to bring in money to rebuild Gaza and its institutions.
He stressed the need for the next US administration to think strategically rather than tactically, especially with the multiplicity of issues such as the Russian war on Ukraine, tensions with China, and the conflict in the Middle East.
Arab community in America
For his part, Masoud Boulos, the campaign coordinator for the Arab Americans for Trump movement, acknowledged that there is great opposition to the war on Gaza, but he said that the challenge is greater for the Democratic Party after thousands voted in protest against the Biden-Harris administration, which failed even on the humanitarian file.
Boulos pointed out that Trump’s policy towards Arab countries is a policy of openness, alliance, friendship and rapprochement, adding that the former US president opposes the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and not the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people.
Sameh Al-Hadi, a member of the Democratic Party Central Committee in Michigan, said that the Arab community in America is trying to restrict the use of American weapons against civilians “if we cannot prevent their export and sending to Israel.”
He stressed that Trump’s victory means a double green light for Israel to do whatever it wants with the Palestinian issue, but he added that Harris has a more distant vision regarding the two-state solution, which will make her more keen to sit with those who stand in solidarity with the Palestinian issue and restore the image of the United States globally.
