Many in Ramallah argue things cannot get any worse but some say US result could add unpredictability to despair

Summary

Palestinians in the West Bank are largely pessimistic about Donald Trump’s re-election, viewing it as unlikely to significantly worsen their already dire situation, though some fear it could embolden Israeli actions.

Trump’s support for Israel’s far-right policies, including the potential dismantling of the UN agency Unrwa and backing of Israeli settlements, could deepen economic hardship and escalate violence against Palestinians.

While some Palestinians worry about increased oppression, others see a Trump presidency as a chance to expose brutal realities, possibly sparking stronger resistance.

  • Nougat
    27•14 days ago

    It also means that we didn’t want to make the one genocide they’re always on about even worse.

    • Flying SquidMEnglish
      30•14 days ago

      Seriously. “Harris is supporting genocide by being part of an administration selling weapons to Israel, so I’ll let the guy who told Netanyahu to finish the job on national TV win.” What the fuck?

      I actually had someone tell me a month or so back that genocide is as bad as it gets and you can’t make it worse once it’s genocide.

      These people will lie to themselves about anything rather than take some fucking responsibility.

      • Nougat
        20•14 days ago

        They also wholly disregard that:

        • “Weapons” is not a singular thing. There are defensive weapons, and offensive weapons. There is no method for undoing sales of defensive weapons. Congress says send 'em; they get sent.
        • Offensive weapons can be paused, if said weapons are likely to be used in inhuman ways. In fact, Biden did exactly that – after House Republicans passed a bill to prevent him from doing it. That bill never made the floor of the Democratically controlled Senate.
        • Congress is in charge of sending those weapons, not the president. If someone wants to “both sides” that one, I’m fine with that. But now that it’s looking like all three branches of government are going to be under fascist control, I’m not holding my breath about Congress changing their stance on any weapons sales to Israel, unless that change is MOAR WEPONZ.
      • @[email protected]English
        6•14 days ago

        I actually had someone tell me a month or so back that genocide is as bad as it gets and you can’t make it worse once it’s genocide

        This was a very common argument I saw. Unfortunately, I think there are people who bought it. It’s so ahistorical, and nobody seems to know anything about the conditions in Germany pre-WW2 (or probably most of the atrocities that the Nazis committed).

        There are levels to this shit, it’s not just an on/off switch.