Since the inception of the Zionist movement in the late 19th century, its policy towards Palestine has been, still is and will continue to be about land theft, dispossession and the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
First, they denied our very existence, and advocated a terra nullius protocol with a slogan, “A land without people for a people without a land.” That way the early Zionists could justify to themselves and the Western world the killing, theft and dispossession of Palestinians.
The genocide we all have witnessed during the last 15 months in Gaza and now, in Jenin, my city of birth, is nothing new. There is a plethora of articles, documentaries and videos made by independent journalists and film-makers, many of whom are Jews, that attest to that. One glaring example amongst many is the recent Netflix Documentary, Tantura. If you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend you do. But be prepared. It is challenging.
Now, there is a new and eager participant in this rampage against Palestine and Palestinians: US President Donald Trump. Of course, this ignorant, ill-informed, racist, Islamophobic, misogynist and totally ego-driven man wants his piece of the action. In order to please his dear friend, the war criminal, Benjamin Netanyahu and his many Jewish billionaire donors, who backed and financed his campaign in 2016 and 2020, he went over the top in showing his gratitude. Against US law, international law and UN resolutions and conventions, he took these steps:
- He recognised Jerusalem as the united eternal capital of Israel.
- He moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
- He cut aid to the Palestinian Authority.
- He closed the PLO Offices in Washington.
- He recognised the sovereignty of Israel over the Gollan Heights.
- His reward? To massage his ego, the fascist government of Israel renamed the Golan Heights as the Trump Heights.
The same Trump was re-elected for a second term in November 2024 and sworn in on 20 January. Since then, he has continued paying homage to his usual backers by visiting more mayhem and pain on Palestine and the Palestinians.
Recently he called for the expulsion of 1.5 million Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan, saying that he would ask President Abdul Fattah Al-sisi of Egypt and King Abdullah II of Jordan, both heavily dependent on American aid, to take 1.5 million Palestinians out of Gaza. “We’re talking about a million and a half people – we just clean out that whole thing,” he said.
But both King Abdullah and President Al-Sisi refused in no uncertain terms. In view of this development, Trump was then asked in a recent press conference whether he might apply sanctions against Jordan and Egypt. It would seem there is no need. “They are going to do it.” he said. “ We do a lot for them and they’re going to do it.”
As if all the above wasn’t enough, Trump resumed shipment of 2000-pound bombs to Israel that were frozen during the last few days of the Biden Administration, while Israel continues to bomb the hell out of Jenin in the West Bank. The largesse doesn’t stop there. Trump invited Netanyahu, a man with an ICC warrant on his head for war crimes, to be the first foreign leader to visit the White House.
And this is the man whom, we are told, hankers after the Nobel Peace Prize.
Oh, by the way. Just in the last few days Trump voiced his outrage over the discovery that $50 million had been spent on sending condoms to Gaza. Worse than that, apparently they were to be used to make bombs.“We stopped it”, he said. “We stopped it.”
Unfortunately, Trump is confused. This shipment was not for Gaza, Palestine, but for Gaza, a province of Mozambique.
Why are we surprised? Trump didn’t know that Puertoi Rico was part of the US.
Congratulations America. Well done.
Jafar M Ramini is a Palestinian writer and political analyst. He was born in Jenin in 1943 and was five years old when he and his family had to flee the terror of the Haganah Militia. He lived in London for 53 years before coming to Perth four years ago. Justice for the people of Palestine is a life-long commitment.