International
Netanyahu Delivers Churchillian Speech at U.N.
Follow Steve Postal: @HebraicMosaic
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As the Israeli Air Force attempted to assassinate Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (“Bibi”) Netanyahu gave a Churchillian speech at the United Nations General Assembly. Key highlights of that speech are the following:
Israel Fighting on Seven Fronts
Bibi stated that following Hamas’ October 7 attack, Israel was forced to defend itself on six other fronts initiated by Iran. These include from Hezbollah (Bibi references that they fired over 8,000 rockets at Israel), Yemen (which includes 250 drone and missile attacks), Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq (who have attacked Israel “dozens of times”), Palestinian attacks from Judea and Samaria, and attacks from Iran itself (including Iran “firing 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles” on Israel).
Abraham Accords are a “Blessing”
Bibi strongly endorsed the Abraham Accords initiated by former President Trump. He called them a “blessing of a historic reconciliation between Arab and Jew.” Bibi envisions that the partners of the Abraham Accords “…will lay rail lines, energy pipelines, and fiber optic cables, and this will serve the betterment of 2 billion people.” He also called on achieving a “historic peace agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel.” Bibi talked about the many economic and security benefits of such a peace, and that it would be “a true pivot in history.”
Iran is a “Curse”
Bibi maintained that Iran, on the other hand, orchestrates “…an arc of terror…from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean.” Iran’s influence has “shut down international waterways,” and “cuts off trade, destroys nations from within, and inflicts misery on millions.” He stated that if left unchecked, Iran will threaten not only Israel, but the Middle East and much of the world “…because Iran seeks to impose its radicalism well beyond the Middle East.” Bibi called on the world to sanction Iran and its nuclear program, and to support those in Iran “who want to rid themselves of this evil regime.”
Hamas Must be Defeated
Bibi continued to reject any role for Hamas to govern Gaza following the war, and re-iterated his push for “a demilitarized and de-radicalized Gaza.” Bibi flaunted Israel’s accomplishments in the war against Hamas, including killing or capturing more than half of their terrorists, destroying 23 out of 24 of its battalions, eliminating over 90 percent of their rockets, and destroying the “key segments” of its terror tunnels. Bibi also promised to free all the remaining hostages held by the terror organization.
Hezbollah Must be Defeated
Similarly, Bibi stated that “Israel must also defeat Hezbollah in Lebanon,” and will “…continue degrading Hezbollah until all our objectives are met.” He mentioned that Hezbollah attacks caused tens of thousands of Israelis to flee their homes in the north, and then asked if Americans would similarly put up with such an attack if it was inflicted on them. Bibi stated that Hezbollah continues to violate UN Security Council Resolution 1701 which states that they cannot place arms near Israel’s borders, and that the terror group also stores weapons in civilians’ homes.
Israel Will Win
Bibi concluded by stating that Israel will win, because “we don’t have a choice.” Quoting the book of Samuel, he stated that “The eternity of Israel will not falter.” Drawing inspiration from a famous poem, Bibi predicted that “Israel will not go gently into that good night. We will never need to rage against the dying of the light because the torch of Israel will forever shine bright.” He concluded by stating that “The people of Israel live now, tomorrow, forever.”
Follow Steve Postal: @HebraicMosaic
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What would a new Trump administration mean for the Middle East? Expect the following:
Increased Pressure on Iran and its Proxies
Brian Hook, Trump’s former special envoy to Iran who is believed to be leading Trump’s transition team for the State Department, stated that the new Trump administration would seek to “…isolate Iran diplomatically and weaken them economically, so that they can’t fund all of the violence…” coming from Iran’s proxies, “…all of whom destabilize Israel and our Gulf partners.” This approach contrasts with the Biden-Harris administration, who engaged the Islamic Republic diplomatically and economically, and even removed the Houthis from the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity list from February 2021 through January 2024. That being said, Hook also stated that the new Trump administration would have “no interest in regime change” in Iran, and that decisions about the future of Iran lies with its people.
The Trump administration may green light an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear sites. GOP spokeswoman Elizabeth Pipko refused to say whether President-elect Trump would approve of Israel attacking Iran’s nuclear sites, stating that Trump should speak for himself on this issue and will do so when he assumes office. However, Trump had stated in October that Israel should strike Iran’s nuclear sites. In contrast, the Biden-Harris administration vocally opposed Israel attacking Iran’s nuclear sites or oil fields, and Israel’s attack plans were leaked to Iran through someone in the Biden-Harris administration’s Defense department.
Striving to End Wars in Lebanon and Gaza
According to Pipko, President-elect Trump wants Israel to end the wars in Gaza and Lebanon quickly, decisively, and with victory. Pipko contrasted this approach with the Biden-Harris administration’s “back and forth” policy, and that the Biden-Harris administration was pressuring how Israel conducts war based on election considerations. The Biden-Harris administration was guilty of “armchair quarterbacking” Israel’s wars in an unproductive way, including by leaking Israel’s plans to strike Lebanon, opposing the Rafah invasion, and opposing the killing of several arch-terrorists.
Trump will also likely prioritize the release of the hostages; Trump recently threatened Hamas, stating that if they did not free its hostages before inauguration day, it will pay “a very big price.” In contrast, the Biden-Harris administration has been spinning its wheels in endless failed diplomacy with Qatar, having not produced a hostage deal with Hamas since November 2023.
Pursuing a Conditional Peace with Palestinians
President-elect Donald Trump will likely re-visit his 2020 peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians, according to Brian Hook. Regarding the 2020 plan, Hook stated that “much of that work is still relevant today.”
On the issue of a Palestinian state, expect that the Trump administration won’t pursue a Palestinian state unconditionally for its own sake, as the Biden-Harris administration has. Hook conceded that Trump’s 2020 plan, which was endorsed by Israel and U.S.’ allies in the Gulf, “had a path to a two-state solution.” But Hook also recognized that Israelis are not focused on a Palestinian state now, and are instead focused on protecting themselves from terrorism in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Additionally, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas outright rejected the 2020 plan, and the plan also required the PA to provide security guarantees for Israel, recognize Israel, and allow Israeli citizens to remain in Judea and Samaria, all of which the PA did not agree to. If the new Trump administration seeks to revive this plan, it will likely revive these conditions for a Palestinian state as well. The PA will then in turn likely reject it a second time, proving again that the PA is not a partner for peace.
Expanding the Abraham Accords
President-elect Trump is also poised to expand the Abraham Accords. Trump brokered normalization deals between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. Reportedly, the previous Trump administration was on the verge of expanding the Abraham Accords to Indonesia and Mauritania, but were prevented from doing so once the administration’s term expired. During the past Trump administration, Saudi Arabia had been trying to get Pakistan to join the Abraham Accords as well.
In contrast, the Biden-Harris administration failed to add any countries to the Abraham Accords. Most notably is the administration’s failure to clinch an Israel-Saudi Arabia deal after chilling US relations with Saudi Arabiaand insisting on a Palestinian state as an integral part of any deal. The Biden-Harris administration seems content with now pursuing a bilateral US-Saudi deal that ices out Israel, which would completely undermine the spirit of the Abraham Accords.
Jared Kushner has had multiple discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the issue of US-Israel-Saudi relations since President-elect Trump left office. So given past efforts, the new Trump administration could clinch Abraham Accords deals with Indonesia, Mauritania, Oman, and/or the big prize, Saudi Arabia.
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