Election spurs talks of Gaza prospects

Leaders from the Middle East countries were quick to congratulate Donald Trump on his victory in the US presidential election on Tuesday, prompting speculation that the leaders may try to talk the incoming occupant of the White House into pushing for a cease-fire in Gaza. However, analysts remained doubtful whether any real change could come to bring lasting peace and resolution of the conflict.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were among the first leaders to speak to Trump after his victory.

Despite some optimism, analysts noted that the future of a two-state solution — an expanding international consensus to the decadeslong crises — looks uncertain, citing Trump's previous actions when he ordered the US embassy to move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018, during his first term as US president.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also greeted Trump, saying: "We are confident that the United States will support, under your leadership, the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people", Wafa News Agency reported.

It was during Trump's term when Washington brokered the Abraham Accords in 2020, enabling the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, and Israel and Bahrain.

Rasha Al Joundy, a senior researcher at the Dubai Public Policy Research Centre, told China Daily that President-elect Trump "acknowledged the support he had from the Arab and Muslim Americans".

The Middle East security and political issue had weighed heavily in Harris and Trump's nail-biting race to the White House where both pledged to stop the destruction by Israeli bombardment, which has been raging for more than a year after a Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023.

Al Joundy said most of the Democratic commentators acknowledged how US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Harris had a "bad policy regarding the Gaza war and Lebanon", which "played a role "in the party's election defeat.

"Taking into account the good relationship Trump has with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders and Netanyahu, I believe Trump is preparing for the 'days after' regarding these two wars (Gaza and Lebanon)," said Al Joundy.

"I am not sure about Trump's position regarding the coalition to support a two-state solution," said Al Joundy.

Elie Al Hindy, an associate professor of international relations at the American University in the Emirates in Dubai, told China Daily that US voters had "sent a clear message "that they did not like how things were done in the past four years.

"This dissatisfaction includes the way the Democrats have dealt with the Middle East war file. The Democrats failed to achieve any cease-fire or deal to end the war," said Al Hindy.