Following Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Hamas has issued a statement signaling that its future stance toward the U.S. will depend on the incoming administration’s approach to Palestinian rights. In an official statement, Hamas remarked, “Our position on the new U.S. administration depends on its stance and practical actions toward our Palestinian people and their legitimate rights.” The group emphasized that President-elect Trump would need to learn from what it called President Joe Biden’s mistakes, referring to Biden’s policy on Israel and Palestine.
For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, Trump’s return to power has been seen as a positive shift. Over the past four years, tensions between the Biden administration and Israel have risen, particularly over issues related to Gaza and Lebanon. Trump’s first term brought several significant wins for Israel, including his recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and his support for Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. In fact, surveys suggest that nearly two-thirds of Israelis believe Trump would be better for Israel than his Democratic challenger, Kamala Harris.
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Trump, 78, made a stunning comeback to win the presidency, having lost to Biden four years earlier in a contest marred by the COVID-19 pandemic. His victory was clinched after securing the pivotal swing state of Wisconsin, bringing his electoral count to 279 compared to Harris’s 223. While the popular vote count saw Trump leading by about 5 million votes, several states were still in the process of counting ballots as of early Wednesday morning. Addressing a raucous crowd of supporters at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in Florida, Trump declared, “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate.”
For many Israelis, the return of Trump to the White House represents a return to policies that have favored the Jewish state. The Trump administration’s stance on the Middle East was often described as unwavering in support of Israeli interests, particularly in terms of security and sovereignty. As Trump takes office for a second term, Israeli officials are hoping that this will signal a stronger, more supportive U.S. policy towards Israel, especially in its ongoing conflicts with Palestinian factions like Hamas.
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