Donald Trump has started to govern the United States. Although the transfer of power will not take place until January 20, and although he has not yet revealed 100% of his Executive, the president-elect is acting as if he were already in the Oval Office. He receives national security briefings, hosts world leaders at his residence, from the Canadian Prime Minister to the NATO Secretary-General, speaks with leaders from around the world. And now, he is even getting involved in international politics.
This Monday, in a message on his social media, Trump has given Hamas an ultimatum: either immediately release the Israeli hostages captured on October 7, 2023, or "unleash hell in the Middle East" and punish those responsible with the harshest measures ever employed by his country. Trump's rhetoric is typical, always grandiloquent. But the message is clear and expected.
Ironically, in 2017 something similar happened but in reverse when the Palestinian Islamist movement warned that the US president's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the embassy there meant "opening the gates of hell for US interests in the region", calling for a third intifada.
"Everyone talks about the hostages being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire world in the Middle East, but it's all words and no action. Please let this message serve as a record that if the hostages are not released before January 20, 2025, the date on which I will proudly assume the office of President of the United States, I will unleash hell in the Middle East and on those responsible for perpetrating these atrocities against humanity. The perpetrators will be hit harder than anyone in the long and legendary history of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!" he wrote on his Truth Social account.
The president-elect's policy towards the region will not surprise anyone. His relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu is much more comfortable than the one the Israeli leader has with Joe Biden. He has nominated two hawks totally close to Tel Aviv for the State Department and national security. And chosen an evangelical former governor as ambassador to Jerusalem who does not believe in the Palestinian people. There are no shades or many nuances in his warnings in recent weeks. There are no references to civilian casualties in the wars in Gaza or Lebanon. Nor to the ceasefire that began a few days ago with Hezbollah. Just a threat to one side and a deadline.
Right now, the Middle East is already something like hell. Humanitarian for millions of people and geopolitical. In recent months, Iran and Israel have directly bombed each other for the first time. The Houthis are attacking from Yemen. And now, Islamists supported by Turkey have made spectacular advances in Syria, taking Aleppo and reaching Hama. There is an earthquake throughout the region, affecting Tehran's allies but also Moscow's. A hornet's nest where any spark can make it even more complicated. A few weeks ago, the next president of the United States celebrated the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and criticized Biden for "hindering" the Israeli Prime Minister's strategy.