The Israeli government recently gave the green light for a major military operation into the West Bank shortly following the Gaza ceasefire deal. This event shows the fragile political situation in Israel and comes during numerous moves by the Trump administration that show a changing Israel policy in America.
Israel’s military carried out raids in parts of the West Bank and the city of Jenin, leading to the death of at least nine Palestinians, at the same time suspected Israeli settlers have raided two Palestinian towns. The Israeli government said its operation was because of rising violence in the region.
These events follow the Gaza ceasefire deal that has taken place, which is expected to see the return of multiple hostages from both sides of the conflict. The fragile deal is continually threatened by violence in the West Bank, which is shown by the most recent bloodshed in Gaza following the ceasefire.
“If we need to start or resume the war again, we will do that, and we will do it stronger than ever,” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised speech shortly before the ceasefire took effect.
Right-wing members of the Israeli government have been resistant to any ceasefire negotiations, yet through some political maneuvering, those members have agreed to ratify the ceasefire. Some have commented that it is possible that this West Bank offensive was the political deal offered to the far-right in return for the ceasefire.
The right-wing party has expressed excitement for Trump’s incoming administration, hoping to achieve certain territorial ambitions with Trump’s approval. This is due largely because Trump was historically favorable to Israel in his first administration and has recently rescinded sanctions on Israeli settlers who raided Palestinian villages.
“I am convinced that we will be able to work closely together with President-elect Trump and all members of the incoming administration, to promote the common values and interests of the two countries … and on the basis of recognition in the unquestionable historical belonging of the whole Land of Israel to the people of Israel,” Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a member of Israel’s far-right Religious Zionist Party, said.
Despite this, the Trump administration seems to be taking a different approach to Israel this time around. This is observable by the fact that the Trump administration has recently fired four prominent presidential appointees, including Brian Hook, a prominent envoy to Iran.
“I’m not confident. It’s not our war, it’s their war … I think they’re very weakened on the other side,” Trump said after being asked if he was confident that the ceasefire would last.
Trump has also appointed numerous appointees to the Department of Defense, practically all of whom are a break from neoconservative foreign policy. Debatably even more remarkable was Trump’s announcement that Former National Security Advisor John Bolton has had his security detail removed.
What Trump’s shift in foreign advisory personnel and rhetoric will mean going forward is hard to tell. The only thing that seems to be obvious is that Trump seems to be preferring less hawkish appointees, which means less support for Israel, even though many of his words and past actions indicate that he is a reliable source of support for Israel.
