The US election result is highly consequential for the Middle East and is first and foremost a win for Benjamin Netanyahu, who did not try to hide his preference for a Trump victory.
The Biden administration had put off imposing any meaningful pressure on the Israeli prime minister until after the election, despite its growing frustration with him on multiple issues: the obstruction of aid into Gaza, his campaign against the UN, his obstruction of a hostage-for-peace deal, and his government’s support for violent West Bank settlers.
It is leverage that progressive Democrats had begged Joe Biden for throughout the 13 months of the Gaza conflict. Anger over US bombs used to demolish Gaza – in Michigan, home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the US, and elsewhere – contributed to Kamala Harris’s defeat. Now, even if America’s overwhelming clout in the region is to be finally unleashed, it will be too late to have any meaningful impact….more
