# What the Palestinian Rights Movement Must Do as Trump Returns Details Medea Benjamin ![logo](https://www.citywatchla.com//templates/ja_teline_v/images/logo.png) January 09 2025 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Jan-2025/003f.jpg#joomlaImage://local-images/stories/Jan-2025/003f.jpg?width=1648&height=914) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/world-watch/30144-what-the-palestinian-rights-movement-must-do-as-trump-returns) [WORLD WATCH](https://www.citywatchla.com/world-watch) - [ Previous Article **The Herculean Task Facing The New Syrian Government** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30152:the-herculean-task-facing-the-new-syrian-government&catid=332) - [ Next Article **Why Europe and America Need Each Other** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30140:why-europe-and-america-need-each-other&catid=332) ###### Typography - [](# "Smaller Font") ****Smaller** **Small** **Medium** **Big** **Bigger**** [](# "Bigger Font") - [](# "Previous Font Style") ****Default** **Helvetica** **Segoe** **Georgia** **Times**** [](# "Next Font Style") - [ Reading Mode](# "Reading Mode") > [Comments](#disqus_thread) PALESTINIAN RIGHTS - As President Biden greenlights another [$8 billion](https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/biden-administration-announced-8-billion-arms-sale-to-israel/) in weapons to [Israel](https://www.commondreams.org/tag/israel) in his last days in office and Secretary Blinken gives a parting New York Times [interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSYtF1BGqHg) in which he denies that a genocide is taking place in [Gaza](https://www.commondreams.org/tag/gaza), many pro-Palestine activists are anxiously counting down the days until “Genocide Joe” and his crew exit the White House. But what will activists have to contend with under the Trump presidency? [Donald Trump](https://www.commondreams.org/tag/donald-trump) proved his pro-Israel agenda in his first term, by moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, [supporting](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/18/world/middleeast/trump-israel-west-bank-settlements.html) West Bank settlements, recognizing the Golan Heights as part of Israel, pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal and enacting the Abraham Accords to normalize relations between Israel and Arab states, while disregarding the plight of Palestinians. Recently, Trump has said that the U.S. should let Israel “[finish the job](https://www.instagram.com/middleeastmonitor/reel/C8wSqk1Mm0p/),” warned that there will be “[all hell to pay](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/02/world/middleeast/trump-gaza-hostages-inauguration.html)” if the hostages aren’t released by the time he takes office, and [threatened ](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4898919-trump-iran-smithereens-threats/)to blow Iran to smithereens. In the coming year, the [Palestine](https://www.commondreams.org/tag/palestine) solidarity movement must find and expand the cracks in the pro-Israel war machine. Trump has signalled his intentions this time around by the people he has selected for key positions. Mike Huckabee, his pick for U.S. ambassador to Israel, is a religious fanatic who doesn’t think Israeli settlements are illegal and [says](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/13/who-is-mike-huckabee-the-evangelical-pro-settlement-envoy-to-israel): “There is no such thing as a West Bank. It’s Judea and Samaria \[the territory’s biblical name, revived in Israeli propaganda\].” He even [insists](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/13/who-is-mike-huckabee-the-evangelical-pro-settlement-envoy-to-israel) there is no such thing as a Palestinian. Elise Stefanik, Trump’s pick for U.S. ambassador to the UN, used her position in Congress to stifle free speech on college campuses and [advocates](https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-12-23/ty-article/.premium/how-trump-and-the-gop-plan-to-dismantle-the-u-s-pro-palestinian-movement/00000193-f479-d338-a593-fefbd23d0000) deporting pro-Palestinian protesters who have student visas. What about Congress? While the 118th Congress was overwhelmingly pro-Israel, the new one, with both the Senate and the House under Republican control, will be even more aggressively biased. Members want to pass a host of horrific bills that will further cement U.S. ties to the Israeli government, punish international actors that dare try to hold Israel accountable, and repress the domestic movement for Palestinian rights. This legislation includes a [bill](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/6/anti-zionism-is-antisemitism-us-house-asserts-in-dangerous-resolution) that equates criticism of Israel with anti-semitism, a [bill](https://www.aclu.org/documents/civil-society-letter-to-congress-opposing-hr-9495) that gives the Treasury Department the power to investigate non-profit groups for links to “terrorism” and then shut them down, a bill to sanction the International Criminal Court for issuing an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, a bill to make permanent the U.S. ban on funding the relief agency UNRWA, and a bill to cancel trade agreements with South Africa because of its genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice. Worldwide, more countries are not only voting for a ceasefire at the UN, but taking concrete measures to hold Israel accountable. And of course, we can’t leave out the challenges posed by three powerful forces: [AIPAC](https://www.commondreams.org/tag/aipac), Christian Zionists, and military contractors. Best known is the lobby group AIPAC, which used its financial muscle in the recent elections to knock out two of the most pro-Palestinian members of Congress, [Cori Bush](https://www.commondreams.org/tag/cori-bush) and [Jamaal Bowman](https://www.commondreams.org/tag/jamaal-bowman), leaving others terrified of becoming AIPAC targets. Lesser known but enormously powerful are the tens of millions of Christian Zionists, who are driven by the radical belief that Israel is key to Jesus’ return to Earth after a bloody final battle of Armageddon in which only those who accept Jesus as their savior will survive. Christian Zionists—already numerous in Congress, the White House and even the military—will be emboldened by Trump. The third powerful lobby group are the military contractors, which has [more lobbyists](https://truthout.org/articles/over-500-former-government-officials-are-now-lobbying-for-defense-contractors/)than members of Congress. Thanks to the [$18 billion](https://responsiblestatecraft.org/october-7-hamas-attack/) that Congress allocated for Israel in 2024, weapons stocks have [soared](https://responsiblestatecraft.org/middle-east-war/) over the past year, dramatically outperforming the major stock indexes. But there are countervailing forces as well. The American public has become more and more sympathetic to Palestinians. A November [opinion poll ](https://www.aaiusa.org/library/american-attitudes-palestine-and-israel-in-the-2024-election)showed that, despite the pro-Israel bias of our government and corporate media, most Americans (63 percent) [want a ceasefire](https://www.aaiusa.org/library/american-attitudes-palestine-and-israel-in-the-2024-election) and 55 percent think the U.S. [should not provide ](https://www.aaiusa.org/library/american-attitudes-palestine-and-israel-in-the-2024-election)unrestricted financial and military assistance to the Israeli government. The American public has become more and more sympathetic to Palestinians. This is especially true among [young people](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/12/23/biden-politics-israel-jews-arabs-gaza/) and among Democrats. And with a Republican in the White House, more Democrats in positions of power should be willing to oppose Israel’s actions since they will no longer be defying their own party’s president. And it’s not just Democrats. Many Trump supporters oppose U.S. involvement in overseas wars, and Trump himself, on the campaign trail, repeatedly [claimed](https://www.wsj.com/opinion/stopping-endless-wars-is-easier-said-than-done-trump-second-term-2cab9c7a) that he wants to bring peace to the Middle East. Worldwide, more countries are not only voting for a ceasefire at the UN, but taking concrete measures to hold Israel accountable. The long list of [countries](https://unric.org/en/south-africa-vs-israel-14-other-countries-intend-to-join-the-icj-case/) and parties that have either submitted or announced their intention to join South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice include Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ireland, Jordan, Libya, Maldives, Mexico, Namibia, Nicaragua, Palestine, Spain, Türkiye and the Arab League. Countries that have either banned, [limited](https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/sep/03/which-countries-banned-or-restricted-arms-sales-to-israel-gaza-war) or announced their intention to embargo arms to Israel include Italy, Spain, the UK, Canada, Belgium, The Netherlands, Türkiye, Russia and China. In the coming year, the Palestine solidarity movement must find and expand the cracks in the pro-Israel war machine. It must strengthen the spine of Democrats who live in fear of AIPAC and reach out to Republicans who oppose funding foreign conflicts. The same arguments many Republicans [make](https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4619185-gop-critics-vow-no-more-us-aid-for-ukraine/) about defunding Ukraine must be applied to Israel. Activists must expand [campaigns](https://afsc.org/gaza-genocide-companies) against companies supporting Israel’s genocide, as well as efforts at the state, city, labor, university, faith-based and sectoral level to condemn Israel’s actions and promote [divestment](https://bdsmovement.net/). The recent [resolution](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/06/arts/historians-gaza-israel-education.html) by the American Historical Association condemning “scholasticide” is a good example. While activists are bracing for a torrent of Trump policies that will create even more global and domestic chaos, including [increased attacks](https://adc.org/breaking-house-to-vote-on-bill-targeting-pro-palestine-organizations/) on pro-Palestine organizations and individuals, the U.S. movement must be as resolute as the Palestinians themselves, who have demonstrated that, no matter what Israel does to destroy them, they remain determined to resist. The year 2025, with Donald Trump in the White House, will not be a time for despair or retreating in fear, but a time for action. *(Medea Benjamin is co-founder of Global Exchange and CODEPINK: Women for Peace. She is the co-author, with Nicolas J.S. Davies, of War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict, available from OR Books in November 2022. Other books include, "Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran" (2018); "Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection" (2016); "Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control" (2013); "Don't Be Afraid Gringo: A Honduran Woman Speaks from the Heart" (1989), and (with Jodie Evans) "Stop the Next War Now" (2005).)* - [ Previous Article **The Herculean Task Facing The New Syrian Government** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30152:the-herculean-task-facing-the-new-syrian-government&catid=332) - [ Next Article **Why Europe and America Need Each Other** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30140:why-europe-and-america-need-each-other&catid=332)