After Trump’s Victory, Palestinians Expect the Worst but Hope for the Best
A large billboard congratulating US Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump, is lit on the side of a building in Jerusalem on November 6, 2024. ©AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP

"Now that he's won, I hope the war will end," a phrase that resonates among Palestinians, as Donald Trump's election echoed differently across the region. While Gazans called on Trump for assistance, their compatriots in the occupied West Bank feared the worst.

In Gaza, which has endured more than a year of war, people responded to Trump’s victory with pleas for an end to bombings and fighting. Many remembered Trump’s recent statements expressing a desire to see peace in Gaza, emphasizing the need for a regional agreement that would not harm Israel's reputation.

"Now that he’s won, I hope the war in the region will cease," Ibrahim Ayan, 33, who, like many Gaza residents, has been displaced due to the conflict, told AFP.

"Trump is a businessman who values the economy, not war," he said, believing the new president might work toward a ceasefire once in office.

"Someone Strong"

"We need someone strong like him to end the war, to save us," echoed Mamdouh al-Jadba, while adding that "it doesn’t matter who wins, as long as someone finds a solution." At 60, having lost his home, he now lives in a makeshift shelter in Gaza City, where "there’s no care, no hospitals, no doctors, no food," separated from his children who are refugees in the south of Gaza.

With international aid trickling into Gaza, where over 43,391 people have been killed in Israel's military response to the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Gazans endure daily suffering.

"Our hope is for the war to end," said Oum Ahmed Harb, who also wants someone to "help" the Palestinians. But her primary concern is the rising cost of goods and the vulnerability of children who, already enduring a dire humanitarian situation, have been out of school for months.

Others interviewed in Gaza expressed resignation, telling AFP, "nothing will change."

"Hell"

In Ramallah, Palestinians shared a similar mood. Memories of Trump’s previous term, when he moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, and encouraged normalization between Israel and several Arab nations, remain fresh.

As Israeli settlement activity continues in the West Bank, many remember Trump’s administration declaring these structures legal, despite the contrary according to international law—a reality that impacts daily life.

"I think Trump’s return to power in the US will lead us into hell," said Mohammed Fakhida, a school principal in Ramallah, who foresees an escalation of tensions and more violence from settlers due to Trump’s well-known support for Israel.

For him, the Republican’s return reflects a "punishment" of the Democratic camp.

"I hope the Democrats realize they lost because of the genocide they funded," echoed Leila, a Palestinian-American living in Ramallah. She believes Trump’s election is internationally significant but adds that the Gaza war and the US position on it have shown that "American politics is dictated primarily by the arms industry, corporations, and powerful interest groups."

In the city where the Palestinian Authority is headquartered, posters supporting Gaza or memorializing Palestinians killed by the Israeli army line certain streets, reflecting the pessimism many Palestinians feel.

 

With AFP

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