TEHRAN – Political analyst Oliver Alexander says that because of Donald Trump’s policies, “I wake up this morning and see the entire Middle East burning.”
In an interview with Newsweek, Alexander also chuckled Trump for his hollow slogan during the presidential election, which claimed to correct conflicts in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine “in 24 hours.”
President Jamal Abdi of the National Council of Iranian-Americans (NIAC) also told Newsweek that Trump is “remaining deeply into local conflicts, playing the exact same cards that the Biden administration is playing and hoping for a different outcome.”
Below is a text from a Newsweek analysis entitled “Trump Promised to Bring Peace to the Middle East.”
Israel’s resumption of airstrikes in Gaza pushed the end of a ceasefire with Hamas, adding to tensions in the Middle East.
Before he re-entered the oval office in January, Trump vowed to bring peace to the region as he was furious between Israel and Hamas following the Palestinian group’s attack on October 7, 2023.
“Let’s go back to peace and stop killing people,” Trump said in April 2024 during the war in Gaza.
Trump’s claims have always been a tall order, but Israel’s strike against Gaza was Yemen’s response on Tuesday, targeting USS Harry Truman airlines in the Red Sea, and Syrian violence has been added to Trump’s foreign policy tests.
Why is it important?
Trump’s pledge as a stability broker in the Middle East clashed with the reality of an cumbersome issue in a revived region. His handling of issues involving Iran, Yemen, Israel and Syria shows how the US will maintain its influence during his term.
What do you know
More than 400 Palestinians were killed in an overnight Israeli airstrike, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Israeli forces claimed they were targeted for terrorism after not extending a ceasefire that coincided with prisoner swaps.
So far, the Trump administration’s response to the resumption of hostility in Gaza has been relatively stifled. However, the White House confirmed that Israeli officials have notified the operation. National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes argued that Hamas chose war rather than extending the ceasefire to release hostages.
Defence expert and former U.S. Navy captain Jean Moran told Newsweek that Trump is standing behind Israel to protect what they want to protect and commit crimes the way they want to.
Emmanuel Navon, CEO of NGO European Leadership Network Israel (Elnet Israel), said it is clear that Trump and the Israeli administration are being coordinated in these military operations, the White House.
If Yemen’s Ansalara continues attacking Israel-related ships in the Red Sea, Trump said “hell will rain,” and the Ansalara group said Tuesday it attacked USS Harry Truman’s aircraft carrier.
National Council of Iranian-Americans (NIAC) President Jamal Abdi issued a statement on Tuesday about Trump administration rhetoric against Iran, the decision to bomb Yemen’s Ansalala base and the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire.
Abdi said the risks of regional wars have skyrocketed after Trump first helped ease local tensions by forcing Israel and Hamas to first invest in diplomacy early and forcing him to agree to a ceasefire deal where he saw the hostages released.
Abdi said Trump’s campaign message supports diplomacy and supports a opposition war with Iran. However, less than two months into his office, Trump “is once again deeply involved in local conflicts, playing the exact same cards that the Biden administration played, hoping for a different outcome.”
Mark Shanahan, a geopolitics expert at the University of Surrey in England, said Newsweek Trump has made it clear that he doesn’t have time for a Palestinian cause and that he fully supports Israel in conflict with Hamas.
Shanahan said the outcome was a return to war, with Trump’s aggressive stance on Yemen and threats to Iran “blew further the furnaces of conflict in the region.”
At least seven people were killed on Monday, and 52 were injured in clashes at the Lebanon-Syrian border, Beirut officials said.
Syria has witnessed the worst violence since President Bashar al-Assad’s collapse earlier this month, killing hundreds of people.
But Moran said Trump doesn’t seem too worried about what will happen in Syria, and will lean towards Assad Ala Russia, which has the positive outcome of maintaining access to the Mediterranean through the port of Tartus.
What people are saying
*Oliver Alexander, political analyst at X (formerly Twitter): “Wake up this morning and see the whole Middle East is on fire, because Trump is “fixing” the Middle East and “fixing” the Middle East just as he stopped the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. ”
*Elnet Israel CEO Emmanuel Navon told Newsweek:
*Defense expert Jean Moran told Newsweek:
*President Jamal Abdi of the National Council of Iranian Americans (NIAC) said in a statement: “Within two months of taking office, the president is once again deeply involved in local conflicts, playing the exact same cards that the Biden administration is hoping for another outcome.”
What will happen next
The international outrage over Israel’s new strike in Gaza could continue in debate over what it means to the rest of Hamas’ hostages.
Trump has given Israeli support, but the eyes change to the development of the Red Sea and what Washington will do following the attacks on US ships.