Trump Should Pressure Israel, Not Hamas
Al-Ahram, Egypt, December 5
US President-elect Donald Trump issued a warning to Hamas last week, threatening “all hell to pay” if Israeli hostages held in Gaza are not released. This declaration was not only misinformed but also incendiary. It neglected the fact that the Middle East had already been engulfed in turmoil long before he had come to power. During his election campaign, the Middle East was already ablaze, rendering his statements redundant and misdirected at the Palestinian resistance, while ignoring the occupying power, Israel. Throughout his campaign, Trump remained silent on the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, often referred to as the region’s butcher. Netanyahu orchestrated a plight in the Middle East that eclipses America’s historical bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in its sheer devastation. He deployed airstrikes that obliterated Gaza and inflicted violence on civilians with an intensity unmatched even during the barbarity of the Middle Ages. These atrocities are broadcasted globally, leaving one to question the basis of Trump’s statement amid the escalating casualty figures in Gaza—numbers that dwarf those in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The casualties in Ukraine are a mere fraction of the devastation in Gaza, highlighting the disproportionate nature of the pronouncements made by the president-elect in response to the capture of Israeli citizens during what is labeled the October 7, 2023 incident. Despite the substantial loss of Palestinian lives—50,000 dead and wounded in exchange for only a handful of Israeli captives—Trump’s rhetoric suggests further sacrifices, even as all parties have endured significant losses. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his former defense minister, both protected by the United States despite being wanted by international courts, have escalated tensions. Amidst all this, the Palestinian resistance leaders named by these courts have been eliminated, leaving solely Israeli leadership unchecked and awaiting accountability. Ultimately, the return of hostages who have been detained for over 14 months requires intensified American diplomatic pressure on Netanyahu’s government, not on the Palestinian resistance. This imperative is heightened by the looming threat to their lives due to the relentless Israeli siege and violence affecting all residents of Gaza. American efforts, alongside Egyptian and Qatari mediation, must intensify before the Israeli government budges. The repeated cycles of violence must cease if there is any hope for resolution and accountability in this ongoing crisis. —Osama Saraya, former editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)
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