Uncertainty across Middle East after Trump victory

Uncertainty spread across the Middle East following Donald
Trump’s US election win, with questions hanging over the war
against the Islamic State group, the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict and Iran’s nuclear deal.
In some parts of the region the surprise victory was
welcomed with calls for Trump to take action, in others it
sparked alarm.
But it was unclear what impact Trump’s isolationist views
would have on US engagements in the Middle East, adding
another measure of confusion to an already-volatile region.
– ‘True friend’ of Israel –
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rushed to
congratulate Trump on his win, calling him a “true friend” of
the Jewish state.
“I look forward to working with him to advance security,
stability and peace in our region,” the right-wing premier said
in a statement.
“I am confident that president-elect Trump and I will continue
to strengthen the unique alliance between our two countries
and bring it to ever greater heights.”
In a meeting with Netanyahu in New York in September,
Trump pledged to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s “undivided”
capital if elected, in a break with longstanding US policy.
Trump’s adviser on Israel, David Friedman, also said last
month the candidate was “tremendously sceptical” about the
prospects for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.
Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who heads the
hardline Jewish Home party, said that with Trump’s election:
“The era of a Palestinian state is over.”
Palestinian reaction to Trump’s win was muted.
“We are ready to deal with the elected president on the basis
of a two-state solution and to establish a Palestinian state on
the 1967 borders,” Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s
spokesman told AFP.
Nabil Abu Rudeina said failure to resolve the decades-old
conflict would mean “the unstable situation will continue in
the region”.
– ‘Nice surprise’ in Damascus –
During the campaign Trump repeatedly pledged to “destroy”
the jihadist Islamic State group, but presented no clear plan
for how.
A US-led coalition is backing Iraqi forces and a Syrian militia
alliance as they battle to drive IS from Mosul and Raqa, its
last major strongholds in the two countries.
How Trump moves forward with the anti-IS offensive will
depend on how he intends to deal with traditional US allies in
the region, in particular Sunni Arab Gulf states, and his
approach to the war in Syria.
Washington has backed rebel forces opposing President
Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s five-year civil war, and Hillary
Clinton was especially supportive of regime change.
But Trump has repeatedly voiced admiration for Vladimir
Putin and advocated a US rapprochement with Russia —
which along with Iran is one of Assad’s strongest supporters.
Trump said earlier this year that fighting both IS and Assad
simultaneously was “madness, and idiocy”.
Waddah Abed Rabbo, editor-in-chief of pro-regime Syrian
daily Al-Watan, said Trump’s win came as a “nice surprise” in
Damascus.
“It is time for the policies of the United States to change and
stop being hostage to the catastrophic wishes of the Gulf
countries, which have destroyed several countries in the
region,” he said.
A Syrian rebel official said opposition forces were actually
hoping for more support from Washington.
“The Americans, by their hesitation, have allowed the regime
and its allies to commit barbaric massacres against civilians
in Syria,” said Bassam Mustafa of the Nureddin al-Zinki rebel
group, one of the more powerful factions in rebel-held areas
of Syria’s second city Aleppo.
– ‘Not possible’ to change Iran deal –
While Trump’s intentions elsewhere in the Middle East may
be vague, his stand on last year’s nuclear deal between world
powers and Iran was clear — Trump described it as
“disastrous” and said it would be his “number one priority” to
dismantle the agreement.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, who staked his political
reputation on the deal in the face of fierce hardline
opposition, said there was no way Trump could rip it up.
“The accord was not concluded with one country or
government but was approved by a resolution of the UN
Security Council and there is no possibility that it can be
changed by a single government,” Rouhani told his cabinet,
according to state television.
“The United States no longer has the capacity to create
Iranophobia and to create a consensus against Iran,” Rouhani
said.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Trump needed
to “understand the realities of today’s world.”
“The most important thing is that the future US president
stick to agreements, to engagements undertaken,” he said.
– Saudi king urges ‘stability’ –
Washington’s longstanding allies in the Gulf have bristled
under President Barack Obama, who they felt was reluctant
to get involved in regional conflicts and did not do enough to
check the ambitions of their regional rival Iran.
Congratulating Trump on the win, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman
praised “historic and tight” ties with the United States and
wished him success “in your mission to achieve security and
stability in the Middle East and worldwide.”
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Kahlifa bin Zayed al-
Nahyan also said his country was eager to strengthen
“strategic relations” with Washington.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he hoped Trump’s
win would inject “a new spirit” into US-Egyptian relations,
which have been tense since the army toppled Sisi’s Islamist
predecessor Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
Sisi said he hoped “to strengthen the ties of cooperation
between Egypt and the United States of America on all
levels.”
Sisi, whose regime has been criticised by the Obama
administration over its human rights record, told CNN in
September that Trump would “no doubt” be a strong leader.
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