Thursday, November 7, 2024

The view from countries where Trump’s win really matters

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By Lucy Williamson, Middle East correspondent, Jerusalem

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, was one of the first to congratulate Trump and has previously called him Israel’s best ever friend in the White House.

Trump previously won favour here by scrapping a US nuclear deal with Iran that Israel opposed. He also upended decades of US policy by recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Trump’s first term in office was “exemplary” as far as Israel is concerned, says Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to the US. But he adds: “We have to be very clear-sighted about who Donald Trump is and what he stands for.”

The former president sees wars as expensive, Mr Oren notes, and Trump has urged Israel to finish the war in Gaza quickly.

“If Donald Trump comes into office in January and says, ‘okay, you have a week to finish this war’, Netanyahu is going to have to respect that.”

In Gaza, where the Israeli military has been battling Palestinian group Hamas, desperation has narrowed the focus of some residents.

Trump “has some strong promises”, says Ahmed, whose wife and son were both killed when their house was destroyed. “We hope he can help, and bring peace.”

Another displaced resident, Mamdouh, said he didn’t care who won the US election – he just wanted someone to help.

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