No, Trump will not be worse than Biden for Palestine and the Middle East

Since erstwhile United States President Donald Trump’s predetermination victory, galore observers person predicted that his management would beryllium acold worse for Palestine and nan Middle East. His pro-Israel rhetoric and threats to explosive Iran, they say, constituent to his overseas argumentation intentions.

Yet a person look astatine US overseas argumentation complete nan past 8 years reveals that thing basal will alteration for nan Palestinian group and nan region arsenic a whole. This is because President Joe Biden’s management successful effect continued nan policies of nan first Trump presidency without awesome changes. Although location whitethorn beryllium surprises and unexpected developments, nan 2nd Trump management will proceed successful nan aforesaid guidance it group backmost successful 2017 and Biden decided to support successful 2021.

There are 3 main elements of this overseas policy. First is nan determination to wantonness immoderate remaining pretence astir US support for a “two-state solution”, successful which Palestine would bask afloat self-determination and sovereignty wrong 1967 borders and pinch East Jerusalem arsenic its capital.

The first Trump management made that clear by moving nan US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, accepting nan Israeli annexation of Palestinian territories, encouraging forbidden colony description and backing nan creation of a “Palestinian entity” that would not bask sovereignty.

What nan Trump management offered to nan Palestinians was immoderate economical support successful speech for giving up their governmental authorities and self-determination aspirations.

While nan Biden management rhetorically backed nan “two-state solution”, it did not do thing to push for its realisation. In fact, it continued nan policies group by nan Trump management that undermine specified a solution.

Biden did not adjacent nan US embassy successful Jerusalem and did thing to extremity colony description aliases rotation backmost Israeli efforts to annex ample parts of nan occupied West Bank. Although immoderate sanctions were applied to Israeli settlers arsenic individuals, this was mostly a symbolic move that has not hampered nan colony activity aliases nan expulsion of Palestinians from their homes and lands.

Furthermore, nan Biden management accepted nan thought that immoderate early Palestinian authorities would not bask afloat authorities of self-determination aliases sovereignty.

We cognize this because nan Biden management holds nan position that Palestinian statehood tin only travel “through nonstop negotiations betwixt nan parties”. But because Israel has made it clear successful argumentation and rule that it will ne'er judge a Palestinian state, nan Biden administration’s position successful effect intends a rejection of Palestinian self-determination and sovereignty.

The 2nd constituent of nan Trump-Biden overseas argumentation is nan advancement of Arab normalisation pinch Israel done nan Abraham Accords. The first Trump management initiated this way pinch normalisation deals betwixt Israel and Morocco, nan United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The Biden management vigorously pursued this path, exerting important effort to normalise relations betwixt Israel and Saudi Arabia. Had it not been for nan ongoing genocide of nan past year, this normalisation woody mightiness person already been achieved by now.

What nan Abraham Accords way fundamentally intends is that nan Arab states would recognise Israel’s afloat sovereignty complete historical Palestine, putting an extremity to claims for restitution and justness for nan Palestinian people. It would contradict nan Palestinian correct of return and abolish nan exile position of Palestinian refugees. It would besides springiness Arab legitimacy and nickname to a Palestinian entity created connected 5 to 8 percent of historical Palestine that would person constricted self-administration and nary correct to self-determination.

The 3rd constituent of nan Trump-Biden argumentation is nan containment of Iran. The Trump management famously cancelled nan Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which had provided sanctions alleviation successful speech for limits connected nan Iranian atomic programme. It besides placed much terrible sanctions connected Iran and tried to isolate nan state politically and economically. The Biden management did not reconstruct nan JCPOA and continued nan aforesaid sanctions authorities against Iran.

What is more, it besides continued to push Trump’s imagination for nan constitution of a caller economical and information statement successful nan region betwixt Israel and Arab states to unafraid US interests and isolate Iran.

If realised, this pact would heighten nan US expertise to task subject power, unafraid its entree to captious power resources and waste and acquisition routes, and weaken guidance to US imperialism, truthful nan US would beryllium successful a amended position to face not conscionable Iran but besides China and different adversaries.

Thus, successful essence, nan Biden administration, contempt its rhetorical pretences and expected committedness to quality rights, has done thing different from its predecessor. Both administrations person worked complete nan past 8 years to guarantee nan extremity of nan Palestinian struggle for self-determination and afloat sovereignty and create a caller Middle East successful which Israel plays an moreover much salient economical and subject domiciled successful defending US imperial interests.

The Biden management has gone moreover further, allowing Israel to toggle shape its slow genocide of Palestinians into an accelerated one, whereby unimaginable numbers of Palestinians are exterminated and ample parts of Gaza are depopulated.

Based connected Trump’s proclamations during nan run and nan advisers, donors and supporters whom he is surrounded with, location is each logic to judge his 2nd management will proceed to push further down this bipartisan way to destruct nan “Palestinian Question” erstwhile and for all.

We tin expect to spot much unconditional support for Israel to officially annex nan mostly of nan West Bank, nan imperishable Israeli colonisation of parts of nan Gaza Strip, nan expulsion of masses of Palestinians nether nan pretext of pursuing “peace, information and prosperity”, and nan advancement of Israel’s economical and information integration into nan region to weaken Iran and its allies, including China.

Those who guidelines successful nan measurement of this scheme are nan Palestinian group pinch their nationalist aspirations for state and liberation arsenic good arsenic different nations crossed nan Arab world that are tired of war, governmental violence, repression and impoverishment.

The Trump management will effort to woody pinch this guidance by buying group disconnected pinch economical incentives and nan threat of unit and repression. But this attack will person – arsenic it ever has had – constricted impact.

Resistance to these plans will persist because Palestinians and others successful nan region understand that giving up one’s correct to justness intends giving up one’s very personality arsenic a free and honorable quality being. And group would alternatively suffer nan threats of empire than springiness up their humanity.

What this yet intends is that not only will guidance persist, but it is apt to turn and intensify, moving nan world person to a way of awesome wars – nan very other of what immense numbers of Americans voted for successful November 5 elections.

The Palestinians, different chap nations successful nan region and to a definite grade mean Americans will proceed to suffer nan consequences of a bipartisan overseas argumentation that has group nan US connected a fundamentally destructive way of genocide and war.

The views expressed successful this article are nan author’s ain and do not needfully bespeak Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.