Hamas Calls for 'Immediate' End to Conflict Following Trump Election Victory.
Published November 6, 2024, at 1:45 PM EST Updated November 7, 2024, at 4:31 AM EST
A senior Hamas official has called for an immediate halt to Israel's military campaign against the group in Gaza and for a clear path to Palestinian statehood in response to former President Donald Trump's election victory.
"The election of Trump as the 47th president of the USA is a domestic issue for the Americans," said Hamas Political Bureau member and spokesperson Basem Naim in comments to *Newsweek*. "However, Palestinians demand an immediate end to the aggression against our people, particularly in Gaza, and seek support in achieving our legitimate rights to freedom, independence, and the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital."
He further stated, "The unconditional support for the Zionist entity, Israel, and its fascist government—at the expense of our people's future and the security and stability of the region—must end immediately."
During his previous term, Trump built a strong alliance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently leading Israel in a multifront war against the Iran-aligned Axis of Resistance, which was sparked by a large-scale Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023. Despite this, Trump has also criticized Netanyahu's wartime leadership and called for a swift resolution to the ongoing conflict.
When contacted for comment, an Israeli official told *Newsweek* that "maintaining and strengthening the special relationship between the U.S. and Israel has been a cornerstone of American policy since the founding of the Jewish state."
"We have no doubt that this will remain the case," the official added. "Looking ahead, we are eager to work closely with the new administration to promote a more peaceful, secure, and prosperous Middle East."
Amid ongoing signs of tension between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu over the direction of the war, despite substantial U.S. military aid, Netanyahu was the first to congratulate Donald Trump on what was hailed as "history's greatest comeback."
"Your historic return to the White House marks a new beginning for America and a powerful reaffirmation of the great alliance between Israel and the United States," Netanyahu said in a statement on Wednesday.
Later, Netanyahu spoke directly with Trump. The Israeli side described the conversation as "warm and cordial," with both leaders agreeing to collaborate on ensuring Israel’s security and discussing the growing Iranian threat.
*Newsweek* has reached out to Hezbollah and the Iranian Permanent Mission to the United Nations for comment.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, which has expanded into an Israeli air and ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon and has sparked retaliatory strikes from other factions within the Axis of Resistance in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, has become a deeply divisive foreign policy issue in the U.S.
While Biden has continued to provide military support to Israel and called for stronger measures to protect civilians, he has faced criticism from both sides: Israeli supporters argue that he has not done enough to support the U.S. ally, while pro-Palestinian groups accuse him of not doing enough to rein in Netanyahu.
Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign largely mirrored the Biden administration's stance, calling for peace and expressing concern for civilians caught in the conflict, while also rejecting calls to halt arms sales to Israel.
In a statement released Wednesday, Hamas called for an end to Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon and urged the U.S. to "stop providing military support and political cover to the Zionist entity, and to recognize the legitimate rights of our people."
“The American president-elect must listen to the voices within American society that have been calling out for over a year against the Zionist aggression on Gaza,” the statement said, "rejecting occupation and genocide, and opposing support for and bias toward the Zionist entity."
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who leads the West Bank-based government in rivalry with Gaza's Hamas, also congratulated Trump on his election victory Wednesday.
Abbas expressed "his aspiration to work with President Trump for peace and security in the region" and emphasized "the commitment of our people to seek freedom, self-determination, and statehood, in accordance with international law," according to a statement from the Palestine News and Information Agency (WAFA).
"We will remain steadfast in our commitment to peace," Abbas was quoted as saying, "and we are confident that under your leadership, the United States will support the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people."
Both Hamas and Abbas had strongly criticized Trump's Middle East policies during his presidency, including his 2018 decision to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and his 2020 peace plan aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The proposal, widely referred to as the "deal of the century," would have granted Israel control over Jewish settlements in the West Bank that are not internationally recognized, as well as areas along the Jordanian border. Under the plan, Hamas and other Palestinian factions would be disarmed, Palestinians would be required to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, and they would be prohibited from joining international organizations without Israeli approval. Additionally, Palestinians would receive desert land along the Israel-Egypt border and access to international investments.
One of the most ambitious aspects of the proposal was the plan to establish a tunnel connecting the West Bank and Gaza.
Though the plan failed to gain traction in the Arab world, Trump successfully brokered the Abraham Accords later that year, which resulted in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco normalizing diplomatic relations with Israel.
Trump's administration also saw rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran, particularly following the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and the assassination of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Quds Force, in Iraq in 2020.
The Republican leader has criticized Biden and Harris for being too lenient on Iran, repeatedly claiming that the Hamas war would not have occurred under his presidency. At the same time, Trump has accused his Democratic opponents of potentially escalating conflicts in the Middle East, something he has vowed to avoid.
"We want a strong and powerful military, and ideally, we don’t have to use it," Trump said during his election night victory speech. "You know, we had no wars for four years. We had no wars. Except we defeated ISIS, we defeated ISIS in record time."
"They said, 'He will start a war.' I'm not going to start a war," Trump said early Wednesday. "I'm going to stop wars."
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