Link to article: https://apnews.com/article/trump-israel-settlers-west-bank-gaza-e1813d86ac1d930c2354db0937abf5f2
With Trump being re-elected in last week’s U.S. elections, Jewish West Bank settlement supporters celebrate the predicted aid from the new president. Jewish housing in the West Bank increased tremendously in Trump’s first term and his administration sought to support Israel’s claim of Jerusalem as its capital (which is unlike most of the international community) and its annexation of Golan Heights. With this past support from Trump, settlement advocates hope for the support of a total annexation of the West Bank in which critics state would stop any hopes of Palestinian statehood. Currently, half a million Israelis live in around 130 settlements and dozens of outposts in the West Bank which is home to a majority of the Palestinian people. During Trump’s first time as president, he went against U.S.’s decades-long opposition of these settlements and actually proposed a plan that allowed Israel to keep them all. Trump’s recently picked ambassadors to Israel and the U.N. show the strong pro-Israel sentiment that would foreseeably not stop the advancements of the settlements. Israel is against allowing West Bank Palestinians citizenship saying it would taint Israel’s Jewish character.
This article is another factor touching on the historically problematic relationship between Israelis and Palestinians. Seen by most of the International community, the expansion of Jewish West Bank settlements is a threat to peace and a two-state solution. I believe Trump will continue his previous support of Israel and its settlements due to the pro-Israel people he has chosen to be involved with the topic. This could have a serious impact on Palestinian people and their homes (with possible displacement) and make future negotiations about border lines very difficult. Palestinians in the U.S. will most likely be against the Trump administration and show their dislike of his policies.
With Trump’s full support of Israel, U.S. influence in Arab states could dwindle. Also, bordering Arab countries could be hesitant of settlement programs due to the possibility of Palestinian refugees. Israel, and especially their Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, would happily view this support and seek to increase their settlement and settlement policies in the West Bank because they now have American aid that would cover any International opposition. Most global NGOs and IGOs (EU and UN) support a two-state solution and would likely condemn the settlement expansion as hurtful to Palestinian rights.
The conflicts between Israel and Palestine are key examples of the struggles of sovereignty and the rights of stateless nations. With the U.S.’s support, as it is the global hegemon in the current unipolar international system, Israel will have more power over the Palestinians. Under a realist view, states value power and alliances to gain that power rather than international cooperation just as the U.S. has shown support of Israel to perhaps gain power and totally disregard international opinion.