Only Trump Can Change Things

As the conflict rages in Gaza, the West Bank is slowly being swallowed up by Israel. World leaders will meet today at the UN in New York. They are meeting to discuss a two-state solution to end the years of conflict between Israel and Palestine. World leaders like Macron, Starmer, Merz, etc, have already given their blessing and backing of a Palestinian state. Donald Trump is also expected to attend this meeting and address the UN on the subject.

Will Trump say anything to back the idea? You would think it unlikely, as Trump has stood shoulder to shoulder with Netanyahu. Yes, there have been occasional blow-backs from Trump about Netanyahu's antics. However, for the most part, Trump has chosen not to stop Israel's actions in Gaza. He remains silent also on what is transpiring in the West Bank. In light of Israel's onslaught in Gaza City, will he now change tack and say "Enough is enough"?

Keir Starmer and other Western leaders say they recognise a Palestinian state, but what good can it do? It's okay to say something, but as James from the Bible said, "Words are nothing without deeds"! And for the suffering people of Gaza, its deeds they need not words! Israel has killed thousands upon thousands of Gazan civilians. Many, many more must be under the rubble. Now, Gazans are fleeing south once more into what Israel calls safe zones. Where they can allegedly be fed and watered, and live in tent cities. However, even there it's not secure. The Israeli and American agency overseeing humanitarian efforts have been accused of allowing Israeli and American security guards to shoot at unarmed civilians who are queuing for food. Those guards would say that Hamas is hiding amongst these civilians to steal supplies and take pot shots at them.

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, under the chairperson Navi Pillay, concluded on 16 September that what Israel is doing in Gaza amounts to genocide. Israel, as you would expect, has rejected the commission's report of genocide. The Israeli Foreign Ministry called the report "distorted and false" and called for the abolition of the commission. Of course, the usual tropes of "anti-Semitism" have been thrown out by Israel. But considering the Gazans are also Semites, isn't Israel being anti-Semitic in their actions in Gaza?

Given the awful happenings on October 7, Israel was always going to act. And act it has, but as many pundits have said, Israeli actions in Gaza have gone long past self-defence. Israel would argue that its offence in Gaza is a defence, so that in defeating Hamas and getting what remains of the hostages home, they will never suffer another horror like October 7. Israel's goal from the time the so-called war started has been to get the hostages home and to defeat Hamas. But Israel has been in Gaza for two years now and has plainly failed to achieve both goals.

Israel has paid a heavy price on many fronts to keep this war (if you can call it that) going. The financial price has cost Israel US$42 billion (150 billion Shekels) by 2025. The Finance Ministry said these wars have cost Israel 112 billion Shekels or US$1 billion in 2024. Israel's economy has slumped, with private consumption dropping by 26-27%. Investment in the country has also fallen sharply. Large numbers of reservists have been called up, reducing the labour force for civilian projects. Palestinians who had permits to work in Israel are now barred because of security threats. Industries that relied on Palestinian labour are now feeling the pinch. Tourism, which is a much-needed revenue for Israel, has collapsed. Many IDF service personnel have been killed and wounded. Israel is becoming an international pariah on the world stage, even though the US stands with it. Other Western nations, including those that have recognised Palestine, are wondering if they are on the right side of history in supporting Israel. Spain is one European nation at odds with Israel openly.

Netanyahu, his former defence minister, Yoav Galant, are wanted for crimes against humanity. The Israeli government is composed of men like Smotrich and Ben Gvir, who openly call themselves Jewish Fascists. Their final solution is to make the Gaza Strip unlivable for Palestinians. To drive them out and make Gaza Israeli, the same as the West Bank, parts of Syria, and Lebanon, in other words, I hate to use these words, but Lebensraum or a Greater Israel.

Can Hamas take some of the blame for what has befallen their people? Yes, for sure, had they not taken the actions they did in killing and kidnapping Israelis on October 7, the conflict wouldn't have happened. But we are where we are. So I return to my former premise, only Trump can bring an end to this carnage. And what he will say at the UN today will matter for better or worse for both Israelis and Palestinians and indeed, the wider Middle East.