Trump: Pardoning Settlers, Gaza as Real Estate Opportunity, and Visiting Saudi Arabia If They Pay More / Moroccan Stabs Four Settlers in Tel Aviv, Four Soldiers Injured by Resistance Bomb in Jenin
Salam Meets Aoun to Discuss Government Formation... Obstacles Lie With Those Claiming to Support Him
January 22, 2025
The political editor wrote
After successfully turning politics into a business venture, U.S. President Donald Trump has made waves with his transactional approach. He offered Europe protection in exchange for buying American oil and gas, proposed a deal to China involving half the value of TikTok’s operations in the U.S., deployed troops to the Mexican border to stop migrant labor, and struck a deal with the military-industrial complex to cease funding foreign wars in favor of building a missile defense dome for America. Amid this, Trump issued executive orders affecting Arabs and accompanied them with remarks on Arab affairs.
One such order pardoned settlers convicted of racist crimes, reversing sanctions imposed by his predecessor Joe Biden. Biden had sanctioned these settlers as a symbolic gesture to mask the extent of the military support he provided to Netanyahu’s government for its war on Gaza, marked by the killing of women and children. Trump’s move aimed to win over Zionists disappointed by his reluctance to prolong an unwinnable war on Gaza and his need to end it to focus on his presidential agenda. Playing the businessman, Trump responded to a question about visiting Saudi Arabia by stating he would consider making it his first overseas trip, as in his first term, but only if Saudi Arabia pays more than last time, citing inflation.
In occupied Palestine, cracks are deepening in the cohesion of the occupying entity following the scandal of its defeat in the Gaza war. High-ranking military leaders, including the Chief of Staff, are resigning, while Netanyahu’s government attempts to shift the war to the West Bank to divert attention from the Gaza agreement and its defeat. However, this strategy backfired disastrously, with four soldiers injured by a resistance IED during a raid on Jenin refugee camp. Meanwhile, a Moroccan youth stabbed four settlers in Tel Aviv, spreading security concerns from the north and south to the center of the entity. Many Israeli analysts remarked that Israel has become less secure after the war.
In Lebanon, Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam met with President Joseph Aoun to discuss government formation. Salam shared his vision for the government after assessing the parliamentary blocs’ positions and the obstacles hindering progress. He also sought President Aoun’s input on the criteria that should guide the government’s composition. According to sources familiar with the matter, Salam plans to prepare an initial draft of the government lineup and present it to Aoun before the end of the week. It appears that the presumed impasse with parties that did not endorse Salam, particularly Amal and Hezbollah, has been addressed through an understanding. However, the real hurdles now lie with those who claim credit for his nomination and profess to be its staunchest supporters, yet seem to obstruct the success of his mission.