Trump, Biden divvy up the spoils of war

Alameen Templeton
America’s two elected “leaders”, Donald Trump and Genocide Joe Biden, were discussing the spoils of elections and wars in the White House Wednesday, allegedly committing themselves to solving the Gaza catastrophe by bringing the hostages home before Trump takes office. They apparently agreed to differ on Biden’s war in Ukraine.
The Gaza genocide’s 43 736 dead victims and 103 370 wounded victims remained as invisible to the two men as the uncounted dead still buried beneath some 40 000 tons of rubble in the battered enclave.
On Thursday, the US delivered its opening gambit on “Syrianising” Lebanon, with Lebanon ambassador Lisa Johnson handing over a “truce proposal” that some Lebanese analysts have described as a “surrender proposal”.
Licensed to kill
Sources told Middle East Eye Friday Washington wants Christian Phalangists back in control of the Lebanese army that will assist a “beefed up” UN peacekeeping force in patrolling southern Lebanon where Hezbollah currently has most of its forces concentrated. Israel will be given “freedom of the skies” and free rein to strike any targets anywhere in Lebanon whenever it feels threatened. The Lebanese government, like Bashar al-Asad’s government in Damascus will be allowed to continue governing.
Underlining the gravity of handing Israel a free hand to sow death and destruction any time it likes, Israel launched an air attack on Damascus Thursday, killing 15 people. It claimed it had targeted an office of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Witnesses said the airstrikes took out ordinary homes. Damascus said the Israelis targeted bridges and highways in several parts of the country.
ISIS, America’s “Inkatha”, has resurfaced in eastern Syria in recent weeks, indicating the US is not finished with the Assad administration.
Trump was never keen on the Syrian war, another “Biden war”, and tried to pull all US troops out of the country during his first term. However, he was blindsided by the Pentagon and was forced in the end to leave a US troops in control the country’s oil rich north east regions.
He will find a very different Arabia when he takes office in January, with the Syrian and Lebanese wars intermeshing with Israel’s aggression and making them difficult to untangle. So, Trump may find himself in the near future sending more US troops to Syria.
Sleight of hand
But the cause of it all, the Gaza genocide, must continue.
Washington has tried in a sleight of hand to shift attention away from the festering sore that is the Gaza ghetto, fudging over the fact that the genocide is the main cause of the Lebanese war. Hezbollah has made it clear throughout mounting clashes with Israel that it will continue its resistance as long as the Gaza genocide continues.
So, America could easily end both conflicts simply by refusing to continue feeding the Gaza Holocaust with weaponry and diplomatic cover. It is clear America is now going for a “normalization-PLUS” deal, extending the Nazi state’s widening grip on its neighbours’ throats at the threat of mass destruction and genocide.
Both Trump and Biden ensured their respective parties never raised the Gaza genocide during their election campaigns, yet it was the first topic of conversation when they met Wednesday as part of the handover of power from Democrats to Republicans.
Biden’s administration has in recent weeks upped the pressure on Hamas that remains resolutely determined not to participate in US-led peace talks as long as Israel is allowed to walk away from agreements at the table. It is still insisting Israel be held accountable and implement a peace deal it suggested on July 2 and then promptly walked away from.
Hamas in Qatar
Qatar has ended its role as mediator in the talks and has told Hamas, under pressure from the US, that its office in Qatar “no longer serves its function”. US conservative news sites are claiming this means Qatar has booted Hamas out of the country. Both Hamas and Qatar have denied this. Hamas has, however, said it is considering “alternatives” if push comes to shove and it needs to find another shelter.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are, meanwhile, preparing to take on a role that could see them as the “enforcers” of a Pax Americana in Gaza. Arguably, they could be taking over the role of the Palestinian Authority which had been administered by Fatah under the Oslo Peace Accord.
But the Israeli Wehrmacht is already building permanent structures for a permanent presence in the strip. Israeli generals have said their army will remain in Gaza at least until 2026; right-wing politicians are calling for a “50 to a 100-year presence”.
Fatah, Hamas and other Palestinian resistance movements have already agreed in Chinese and Russian-brokered talks to revive the PLO and to unite under its banner. Fatah has also participated in Saudi Arabian talks regarding the future of a Palestinian state, so it appears to be playing both sides of the coin.
Riyadh, Jordan and the UAE were all embarrassed by US leaks recently that revealed their leaders urged Israel after October 7 last year to “take out Hamas”, which is tied to the Muslim Brotherhood that the US allies view with real fear as it has the potential ability to destroy their comfortable relations with the West.
A  ‘gift’ for Trump
The Washington Post reported Thursday Israel was preparing a ceasefire deal in Lebanon as a “gift” to Donald Trump, giving him an easy foreign policy win as he comes into office on January 20.
That has been denied Friday in Israel. It is doubtful the Israelis would be able to influence Beirut into accepting its demands. It’s only other alternative to “gift” Trump a diplomatic solution would be to end the Lebanon invasion.
That particular aggression is not going Israel’s way as mounting losses and continuing missile attacks on Israel keep its option limited and strengthen Lebanon’s negotiating powers.