Donald Trump’s West Asia Policy and Israel’s War on Gaza

• Biden’s administration aimed to expand Arab-Israel normalisation through the 2020 Abraham Accords.
• The attack by Hamas in Israel in October 2023 led to Israel’s retaliatory war in Gaza.
• Biden’s approach was two-pronged: support for Israel’s war in Gaza and diplomatic measures to prevent escalating conflict.
• Trump’s pro-Israel policies defined his West Asia policy during his first term.
• He moved America’s embassy to Jerusalem, recognized Israel’s illegal annexation of Syria’s Golan Heights, and withdrew the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal.
• Trump’s ‘peace plan’ for Israel-Palestine in 2020 was rejected by the Palestinian leadership.
• Biden’s approach overlooked criticisms of genocide against Israel but did not want an allout war in West Asia.
• The Biden administration spent $17.9 billion on military assistance to Israel from October 2023.
• Trump’s base is against the U.S. getting stuck in West Asia’s forever wars and wants to focus on strengthening America’s conventional capabilities and bringing China into the pulpit of his foreign policy.