Arab leaders quickly congratulated Donald Trump on his U.S. presidential election victory. Some are hopeful he could bring an end to conflicts raging in the Middle East while others are looking for a stronger stance against Iran.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, United Arab Emirates leaders, and Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, all congratulated Donald Trump on his win, saying strengthening strategic partnerships is important.
Dania Koleilat Khatib, president of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace Building in Beirut, told VOA that during the election, Trump emphasized personal ties with such leaders compared to what she called Biden’s more transactional approach.
Khatib said Arab leaders want Trump to end war in Gaza and Lebanon.
“One of his main campaign promises was to end the war in Gaza. But end it how? Would it end with a Palestinian state? We don’t know,” she said. “The thing that is worrying is [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu attacking Iran. This will be major. Handling Iran will not be easy for Trump.”
Bin Salman has reiterated that his country would not consider improving ties with Israel unless the Gaza war ended and a Palestinian state is established.
Wealthy Gulf states have bolstered ties with Iran and given the Islamic Republic assurances that they won’t allow Israel to use their airspace to facilitate attacks on Iran.
In its response to the elections, Iran played down the results, saying it was ready for confrontation with Israel.
Jordan’s King Abdullah, Egypt’s Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Makati, who are involved in trying to negotiate an end to the raging conflicts, also congratulated Trump.
Analyst Osama Al Sharif in Amman said he believes Trump will pressure Netanyahu to end the conflicts before the presidential inauguration next year.
“He will boldly tell Netanyahu … to wrap things up before the 20th of January because those two wars, especially Gaza, have become so toxic and they have become part of the [President Joe] Biden stigma, which was also eventually inflicted on [Vice President Kamala] Harris,” he said.
“Trump doesn’t need to start his first day at the office with more news of children getting killed and hospitals being blown up.”
Al Sharif told VOA that Iran will be a big challenge for Trump, who he says is an “isolationist who wants to extract America from any conflict.” He predicted Trump may tighten sanctions on Iran.
“More sanctions,” he said. “He may be able to communicate with Tehran through [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, who is now a very close ally of the Iranians. That remains to be seen.”
Al Sharif, however, expressed concern that Trump might recognize Israel’s annexation of most of the West Bank under Israel’s current hard right government, which he said “would complicate things dramatically” for the Palestinians and Jordan.
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