‘Trump would be the worst’: Palestinians react to US presidential race | Israel-Palestine conflict News

Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Financial institution say a United States presidency below Kamala Harris would do little to halt Israel’s conflict on Gaza after US President Joe Biden’s resolution to drop his re-election bid.

Below Biden, the US has offered its ally Israel with billions of {dollars} in navy support since October 7. Many Palestinians count on Harris, who’s Biden’s vice chairman and a Democrat, to proceed supporting Israel if she is elected president in November.

On the identical time, many Palestinians worry that Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump will solely exacerbate their struggling if he returns to energy.

“Trump could be the worst,” Asmaa Nimilaat, 50, mentioned from a hospital the place hundreds of persons are sheltering in Deir el-Balah, an space in central Gaza. “However any candidate that turns into president won’t assist Palestinians.”

Since Hamas-led assaults on Israeli communities and navy outposts on October 7, during which 1,139 folks had been killed and 250 taken captive, Israel has launched a devastating conflict on Gaza with American assist.

Israel’s conflict has killed a minimum of 39,090 Palestinians, uprooted almost all of Gaza’s 2.3 million folks and generated widespread starvation and malnutrition within the besieged enclave.

The conflict has dominated worldwide headlines for 9 months, enabling Israel to quietly seize more land within the occupied West Financial institution than throughout another yr prior to now three a long time.

Palestinians blame 81-year-old Biden for his “weak” management and for abetting Israel.

“Biden introduced American machines to guard the Israeli occupation and used American vetoes [in the United Nations Security Council] to guard Israel’s genocidal insurance policies,” mentioned Raed Debiy, the top of the political science division at An-Najah Nationwide College in Nablus within the West Financial institution.

“For the reason that [Hamas] assault in October, America has handled Israel prefer it’s the 51st [US state],” he informed Al Jazeera.

‘Extra of the identical’

After Biden’s endorsement of Harris to take his place within the presidential race, Harris has amassed significant support from members of her occasion in addition to from the broader American public. Harris has endorsements from greater than 2,500 delegates, sufficient to win the nomination at subsequent month’s Democratic Nationwide Conference, the place the occasion’s presidential nominee might be introduced.

However Palestinians are sceptical of a attainable Harris presidency on account of her heat historical past with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobbying group that has for years advocated for unconditional US assist to Israel.

In 2017, Harris spoke on the annual AIPAC convention and pledged to uphold Israel’s proper to “self-defence” and defend US-Israeli navy cooperation. The US provides Israel about $3.3bn in navy support yearly.

Fathi Nimr, a Palestinian political analyst residing in Ramallah within the West Financial institution, informed Al Jazeera that he doesn’t see a significant shift in US coverage if Harris turns into president.

“There isn’t a indication that Harris had disagreements with Biden about [Israel’s war on Gaza],” he informed Al Jazeera.

“I believe it is going to be extra of the identical,” he mentioned. “Kamala isn’t an outsider that may are available in to problem the established order.”

Some Palestinians imagine Harris could a minimum of be a bit “harder” on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom many accuse of continuous the conflict on Gaza to delay nationwide elections at a time when his recognition is at an all-time low.

Ismat Mansour, who spent 20 years in Israeli prisons, referred to how Biden has mentioned he considers himself a Zionist, declaring that he has an “emotional attachment” with Israel, which makes Harris extra interesting to Palestinians compared.

“I’m not anticipating an enormous change in US coverage,” he informed Al Jazeera. “However perhaps Harris would work with the UN extra and strain Netanyahu to do a [captive] deal and to discover a resolution for Gaza as a result of the whole world has an curiosity in restoring stability within the area.”

‘Cease the genocide’

Many Palestinians in Gaza informed Al Jazeera they don’t care that Biden will not search re-election or who in the end turns into US president so long as the subsequent US chief stops the conflict in Gaza. Ibrahim Nabeel, a volunteer medic in a hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, is amongst them.

Nabeel mentioned he’s distressed by how continuously he sees our bodies dropped at the hospital. On Monday, Israeli warplanes bombed japanese Khan Younis, killing a minimum of 70 Palestinians and wounding greater than 200, based on Gaza well being officers.

Nabeel mentioned Palestinians in Gaza simply need the subsequent US president to talk about “security, freedom and therapeutic” fairly than Israel’s proper to “self-defence”.

“Truthfully, Palestinians actually don’t care who the subsequent US president might be. They simply need whoever it’s to cease the genocide,” he informed Al Jazeera.

Few folks in Gaza, nevertheless, are hopeful that the conflict will cease any time quickly.

Salah Abu Maghseeb, 25, who sells drinks on the gate of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, informed Al Jazeera that the US will at all times assist Israel no matter who’s in energy. The conflict on Gaza would have completed “a very long time in the past” if the US had simply suspended its assist, he mentioned as he brewed a cup of espresso for a buyer.

“With American assist, Israel is probably the most highly effective killer of the Arab folks,” Abu Maghseeb mentioned.

Nimilaat, who’s sheltering in the identical hospital, added that Netanyahu could solely take heed to a US president if that chief is prepared to carry him accountable.

“Netanyahu doesn’t pay attention. No one will get via to him – not Biden nor anyone else,” she mentioned. “Why? As a result of no person [in America] is prepared to make use of their leverage to cease him.”