THERE was renewed hope that Israel would cease its slaughter for the time being in Gaza as Tel Aviv’s negotiators met in Doha for talks with Hamas — via Egypt and Qatar. However, as several such past encounters have shown, Israel appears uninterested in stopping its campaign of extermination in the occupied Palestinian territory. After over a week of ceasefire talks, the mood is not positive, with media reports quoting Hamas officials as saying that Israel is setting new conditions, while the Israelis have reportedly said talks are “stuck”. Meanwhile, Tel Aviv continues to mercilessly bomb Gaza, including its hospitals; the death toll from over a year of butchery has surpassed 45,000. It is likely that Tel Aviv is playing games to show the international community that it is ‘serious’ about peace, while buying time till the Trump takeover of the White House next month. Donald Trump has said there will be “hell to pay” unless Israeli captives are returned by his inauguration. Many observers have noted that this may mean Washington giving Tel Aviv the green signal to ‘finish’ the job in Gaza, even though the besieged territory has seen hellish violence since Oct 7, 2023. What Mr Trump has in store is anybody’s guess.

What is reasonably clear, though, is that it is unlikely that the occupied Palestinian territories, or the rest of the Middle East, will see any peace in the new year as the Trump presidency begins, particularly if the rabidly Zionist wing of the American president-elect’s supporters have anything to say about it. Even though there is widespread consensus in large parts of the global community that Israel is committing genocide, the incoming US administration is unlikely to agree. After all, if the ‘liberal’ Biden White House was okay with Tel Aviv’s murderous forays against the Palestinians, team Trump will likely be even more enthusiastic in the ‘defence’ of Israel. The sad reality is that more conflict awaits the Middle East in 2025, especially if things go awry in the ‘new’ Syria, and if Tel Aviv and Washington decide it is time to ‘take out’ the Iranian ‘threat’. Diplomacy and a commitment to justice can prevent a further conflagration, but both these commodities are in very short supply in world capitals. Therefore, the people of the Middle East must prepare for more chaos.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2024