It has been a month since Donald Trump was re-elected as president. Much has happened since, but discussion around one major issue has been less prevalent: Gaza.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Israel-Gaza war has dominated the news cycle and was a key issue of the campaign for both candidates. But now, with one administration leaving and another coming in, change can be made in the region.
President-elect Trump ran a campaign promising an end to wars and a more isolationist foreign policy. Hopefully, for the sake of the 44,000 Palestinians who have died since the beginning of the war, he lives up to his promises.
While the U.S. might have shifted its attention away from Gaza with the election and its aftermath, the world certainly has not. On Nov. 21, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Nations such as Canada, Italy, and Ireland have all expressed they would arrest Netanyahu if he were to enter their countries.
This shows that international organizations and other Western nations are taking a strong stance against Israel and showing the U.S.โs isolation from the rest of the world. This puts the U.S. in the spotlight of international policy as a major outlier.
Every day, children and civilians die in Gaza under the current U.S. policy of supporting and funding Israel, which has repeatedly targeted civilian areas, humanitarian stations, and cut off foreign aid to Gaza.
There are two actions the U.S. could take in the next couple of months. One action: A peace deal could be worked out by President Joe Biden, as he has talked about over the last year. But Biden has no commitment to such a difficult task in his final month in office.
Another option lies with the Trump administration. Trump campaigned on ending wars and adopting a more isolationist stance. This can be the first time Trump applies that policy by withdrawing funding and taking a neutral stance in the war. He could also broker a peace deal if Biden is unable to.
But this is more of a dream than reality. Trump has recently said that Israel needs a victory in Gaza immediately.
Hopefully, for the millions of citizens in Gaza and the children living in constant fear, this war can end quickly. The Biden administration has promised a peace deal, while Trump has promised an end to war. But no matter what, an end to the killing in Gaza needs to happen.