When Trump outdoes the Zionist movement

Donald Trump, one of the more bizarre presidents in the history of the United States, is once again making decisions of a strategic aspect regarding the Palestinian and Arab-Israeli conflict.

President Trump cannot be the head of the Jewish Agency for Israel, or the leader of the Zionist movement, given that he is frank, hasty, and biased in favour of the Zionist movement’s ideas and programmes, without considering the implications of his decisions. This is because it is the smartest colonial movement dealing with an expansionist racist project.

Trump made the decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and attempted to dry up UNRWA resources in preparation for cancelling its mandate and redefining the refugee issue. He made a decision regarding Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a statement regarding settlements not being a violation of international law, cutting all aid to the Palestinian people, and the closure of the PLO’s office. Trump is taking a major step forward towards more bias and more blind and mad extremism.

Trump has said he will recognise Judaism as a nationality, believing that this will rein in the organisations that work to boycott settlement goods, beginning with the BDS movement. This movement is achieving more and more in terms of convincing more people and groups, even in the US, about the danger of settlements and their violation of international law, which requires boycotting the goods produced by the settlements, as well as the companies that operate in them.

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In practical terms, Trump’s approach means recognising the racist identity that Israel has established for itself through legislation from the Knesset, known as the Nation State Law. While the Zionist movement matched nationalism and Judaism and tasked itself with the burden of adopting policies and actions against other nations and religions, leading to its gradual decline toward racism and undermining Israel’s claims to democracy, Trump’s ideas in this regard would place the United States in the same racist square.

This means increasing racist attitudes in the United States itself, and encouraging racist and extremist groups to commit crimes against everyone who raises their voice in the face of the Israeli occupation and its crimes. At the same time, it will be providing American Jewish lobbying groups with new weapons and a legal basis to attack anti-racism and anti-Zionist groups and organisations, even in the official American establishment.

However, the American president’s approach will not prevent the groups and institutions from continuing to operate within the framework of boycotting settlements, stopping Israel from continuing their activities, and rebuilding the awareness of large groups of American society about the facts and issues of the conflict and the role of the United States.

Institutions working within the framework of boycotting goods produced by settlements and showing their illegality in accordance with international law will use Trump’s decision as a weapon that helps them highlight the risks and dangers that the US faces under the policies adopted and practiced by President Trump and his irrational administration.

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Most importantly, however, are the positions expected to be adopted by the Democratic Party, and even by the men of the Republican Party, who consider the implications of this policy on the position and role of the United States and its interests at the regional level in the Middle East and at the international level. A few days ago, congress made a clear majority decision about Trump’s decisions and policies regarding the peace process, the two-state vision, and position on settlements.

I believe that Trump’s announcement regarding the recognition of Judaism as a nationality and the consequent measures will fuel the contradictions within the official American institutions amongst Jewish communities in the US and various other countries, and this will increase incitement against the president.

In fact, if President Trump had been a normal president, he would not have provided these weapons that work against the interests of the US and its allies while facing a historic challenge related to its global role and global order in light of the strong competition represented by China. According to Dr Talal Abu Ghazaleh, the world economic expert, this will lead to a global war between the two countries in the next year.

Trump is still subject to impeachment investigations and his actions are accumulating more cards to be played by those seeking to impeach him before the elections at the end of next year. It is worth betting on the international reactions that may constitute a new storm in the face of this foolish administration.

Translated from Al-Ayyam, 12 December 2019

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.