Episode description

After 15 months of Israeli bombardment, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are returning to northern Gaza as part of the first phase of the long-awaited ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. 

During his inaugural speech, President Donald Trump pledged to be a peacemaker and claimed credit for securing the deal.

But mere hours after promising peace and unity, Trump’s actions and rhetoric pivoted. After his inauguration, he signed an executive order lifting Biden-era sanctions against Israeli settlers in the West Bank meant to curb violence against Palestinians. 

“In the West Bank, Israeli settlers were regularly attacking Palestinian civilians, forcing them off their land, doing things like burning farms, olive groves, oftentimes injuring or killing Palestinians,” says Intercept reporter Jonah Valdez. “With Trump lifting those sanctions, Israel is getting pretty much another pass to continue its violent land grabs from Palestinians.” 

In the days since, Trump has suggested moving Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt and said, “We just clean out that whole thing.” Before the election, Trump also floated the idea that Gaza could be rebuilt to rival Monaco as a tourist destination.

“Close to 70 percent of all structures in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged. Experts say that just clearing the rubble from the 15 months of the siege could take more than 20 years. So we're talking about decades here,” says Intercept reporter Akela Lacy. “Another big issue with the reconstruction is that one of the largest aid providers in Gaza is banned starting on Thursday. Under this new Israeli law, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, also known as UNRWA, will be expelled from the territory.”

Meanwhile, Trump issued an executive order halting foreign aid, raising concerns about U.S. future involvement in U.N. support. “This started under Biden. Trump comes in and issues this freeze of all humanitarian foreign aid, and people start blaming Trump for cutting funding,” says Lacy. 

Valdez continues, “There's really no indication that Trump would slow down actual support for the Israeli military. And I think, case in point, is Trump resuming the shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, which had been known to inflict immense loss of civilian life in Gaza.” 

“The question now is, who is going to get up off their ass and do something about this?” asks Lacy. “Who is going to either create an alternative or do more to hold the leaders, leadership accountable or break from the Democratic Party and do something else?” 

To hear the whole conversation, check out this week’s episode of The Intercept Briefing.

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