Ep 2: Trump and the Israel/Hamas conflict

A look at the Israel/Hamas conflict and how things have changed since Trump took office. 

Transcript

Raheel Khan: 0:00

Hello, and welcome to another episode of Khannecting the Dots. I'm your host, Raheel Khan. Today we are diving into a topic that's dominated headlines, sparked campus protests, and forced uncomfortable conversations across the country. We're talking about the Israel Hamas conflict. Specifically what's happened since Donald Trump returned to the White House. Let's rewind for a moment. Remember how Trump met with Muslim leaders and promised to end the war in Gaza? He claimed I will end conflicts and bring peace to the Middle East. This led to an Imam in Michigan telling an audience,"we as Muslims stand with President Trump... because he promises peace." Peace in the Middle East. An end to the violence in Gaza. Relief for Palestinians. That's what millions of Americans were hoping for, what protestors across the country were demanding. But did we get peace? Or did things get worse? Let's break it down. But before I go on, I wanna make a quick comment. In America and many Western countries today, if you talk about Palestinian suffering, without providing the"proper context", you're immediately discredited. If you don't lead with condemnation of October 7th, Hamas attacks nothing else, you say matters. Just ask Ms. Rachel the beloved YouTube star. She was viciously attacked online accused of spreading Hamas propaganda and even referred to the DOJ. All for expressing sympathy for Palestinian children and showing a photo of a malnourished child. So let me be clear, I unequivocally condemned the October 7th attacks. No civilian, Israeli, Palestinian, or anywhere in the world should ever be killed or taken hostage. Everyone has the right to live in peace and security. But here's the thing, Israelis demand context for their suffering. Why are Palestinians denied the same? As one Jewish opinion writer recently wrote in Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper. If nothing can justify what was done to us on October 7th, how can it be that what we have been doing to them for more than a year and a half now, actions that have cost tens of thousands of people their lives and destroyed their lands does seem justified to us. Back in October, 2024, even before Trump's return, UN experts were already declaring"it's time to call a genocide a genocide". Fast forward to today, Gaza is in one of the most brutal phases yet, civilians are dying at unprecedented rate. Aid is blocked. Desperation is everywhere. For over a year, people argued about whether Palestinians were facing famine. There should be no doubt now. Recently, the Israeli cabinet approved the"concluding moves" of the war in operation they termed Gideon's chariots. The goal, according to Israel, it's a mission to dismantle Hamas and retrieve hostages, but critics call it a blueprint for permanent occupation, mass displacement, and an expansion of violence against the Palestinian civilian population. At the same time, dehumanizing talk about Palestinians is now out in the open. In the Knesset Israel's parliament, a doctor pleaded for the suffering children. Only to be told by cabinet members."I'm not sure you're speaking for us when you say you want to treat every child and every woman." And then there's the media, a well-known Israeli TV producer, Elad Barashi tweeted,"I can't understand the people here in the state of Israel who don't want to fill Gaza with gas showers or train cars. Let's, finish this story, let there be a holocaust in the Gaza". This is someone who works for a network favored by Netanyahu. It's not new, it's just more brazen than ever. Let's take a quick look at how the conflict affected the 2024 elections. Over 75% of Muslim voters rejected Kamala Harris, more than half backed Jill Stein. About 21% voted for Trump, and only 20% chose Harris. In Arab majority cities in Michigan, where Trump had met with the Muslim leaders, Harris received 22,000 fewer votes than Biden did in 2020. Trump gained over 9,000 more Muslim votes than he had four years prior. Why? Because Muslim Americans were sick of watching the US government enable the slaughter of Palestinians. They saw Biden continue to arm Israel brushing off global condemnation. They saw democratic leaders ignore pro-Palestinian protestors. So they sent a message. The status quo is unacceptable. Most Muslims didn't vote for Trump, but he still benefited. A vote for Stein or anyone else outside the two major parties was effectively a vote for Trump. Right before inauguration. The Trump administration touted a peace deal. They claimed would've never happened without Trump, coming to office. But here's the truth. The framework for that ceasefire was already in place months before Trump returned to office. Back in May, 2024. Egypt, and Qatar backed by the Biden administration, crafted a three phase plan, a six week, ceasefire, and a hostage prisoner exchange, gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza's urban areas. Finally, a roadmap for long-term peace and reconstruction led by Egypt, Qatar, and the UN. Hamas agreed, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to sign it. Facing corruption charges and pressure from his far right coalition. Netanyahu dug in. He insisted Israeli troops remain in the Gaza buffer zones and rejected any permanent cease fire. Critics, including top Israeli security officials and families of the hostages, say it was all about political survival. Ending the war might mean facing investigations into the October 7th failures. It could even trigger early elections, something that Netanyahu couldn't afford. So the deal stalled and the war dragged on. As Trump's inauguration was gearing up, the peace deal was finalized. Even though the Trump and Biden teams worked together to get it across the finish line, he claimed credit for reviving the same peace deal that had been stalled for months, branding it as a Trump administration success. The ceasefire goes into effect fighting pauses. Eventually 25 hostages and eight bodies are released to Israeli officials. Over 1500 Palestinian prisoners are freed. Displaced Gazan's are beginning to return north, but the mood on the ground is tense. Even Trump admits he's not confident that the truce will hold, telling reporters,"that's not our war. It's their war". Netanyahu calls the agreement temporary and warns that Israel will retaliate if Hamas violates even a single term. Meanwhile, Israel is consistently accused of violating the ceasefire by killing Palestinians on a regular basis and hindering aid. The message is clear. The ceasefire is on a fault line, ready to give at any moment. Then on February Netanyahu becomes the first foreign leader to visit Trump at the White House, They talk Gaza, Iran, and regional security. Then Trump floats a wild idea. The US should take over Gaza and turn it into the"Riviera of the Middle East". Weeks later, Trump doubles down with a viral AI generated video showing himself and Netanyahu sunbathing in Gaza's beaches luxury resorts rising from the rubble. A golden statue of Trump gleaming in the sun. To Palestinians and much of the Muslim world, it's a slap in the face, an offensive fantasy that ignores the devastation and hints at forced displacement of Gaza's population. Even some Israeli commentators called it"detached from reality". Human rights groups condemn it as tone deaf, inflammatory, and grotesque, especially while Gaza still smolders. Less than two months after Trump's returned to office and just weeks after the viral Riviera video, Netanyahu shatters the ceasefire. On March 18th, Israeli forces launched massive new offensive Gaza, killing over 400 Palestinians in a single day. Netanyahu's justification. He claims"Hamas has failed to release all hostages, continues to smuggle weapons and violates terms of the agreement. Israel cannot and will not allow terrorists to regroup on its border". But critics including Israeli opposition leaders and international observers tell a different story. The ceasefire was mostly holding. Israel, kept trying to change the terms of the deal, and Netanyahu really never had any intention of beginning phase two. Haaretz reported. Netanyahu's real motive was political to protect himself from accountability over the October 7th failures, and to appease far right coalition partners demanding total victory. One right cabinet member had quit his coalition at the beginning of the ceasefire and only rejoined after Netanyahu broke the deal. The result, a catastrophic escalation. Thousands more Palestinians have been killed and the hostage crisis. Remains unresolved. The timing couldn't have been more devastating. As Palestinians and Muslims around the world observed Ramadan a sacred month of fasting and prayer. Israel ramped up its bombardment. Air strikes destroyed tents, homes, and shelters. Then on Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the holiest days in Islam when Muslims mark the end of Ramadan with prayers and festivities. Dozens were killed In Rafa and Khan Younis. Aid deliveries remain halted. Families struggled to find a single meal to celebrate or to break their fast. By the end of March, Gaza's death toll surpassed 50,000, with thousands more killed since then. Most were women and children. The real number, likely, much higher, thousands remain buried beneath the rubble. One of the many terrible moments of this new phase of the war came on March 23rd. Israeli forces struck a convoy of ambulances and rescue workers in Rafa. 15 people were killed. Eight were Palestinian Red Crescent medics. Five were civil defense workers, and one was UN agency employee. At least three more Red Crescent workers were detained. Two were released within a day, but one, Asaad al Nasasra was finally released after being held prisoner for over a month. Why was he held for that long? Unknown. He's a first responder, not a terrorist. When investigators found the bodies, the evidence was chilling. One medic had his hands zip tied behind his back, shot at point blank range. Others had wounds inconsistent with crossfire, suggesting they were deliberately targeted. The ambulances were clearly marked. The victims wore reflective vests. At first, the Israeli military claimed the convoy was advancing without emergency lights, and they assumed it was militants. But a video recovered from a slain paramedic's phone and later verified by international outlets told different story. It showed the team following standard emergency protocols, rushing to save lives and being brutally massacred in the process. Human rights groups labeled it a war crime. The Palestinian Red Crescent. Called it a catastrophe, not only for us, but for humanity at large. As horrifying as this incident is, it's not isolated. Israel has been targeting healthcare workers simply for doing their job, and not just in Gaza. Doctors Without Borders has confirmed that healthcare personnel have been targeted and killed in multiple hospitals. As the ceasefire collapsed and bombs resumed another front in the war opened, one fought not with weapons, but with hunger. Since early March, Israel has enforced a total blockade on humanitarian aid entering Gaza. For over two months, no food, fuel, or medicine has been allowed through. Aid agencies now call it the worst humanitarian crisis in nearly two decades. Then on May 2nd, things escalated even further. An Israeli drone strike hit a humanitarian ship in international waters near Malta. The vessel operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition was carrying food, medicine and international activists. Climate advocate. Greta Thunberg was reportedly scheduled to join the next leg of the. The ship over 1600 nautical miles from Gaza was struck twice, set ablaze, and disabled. Everyone on board survived after Maltese rescue teams intervened, but the mission was aborted. Legal and humanitarian groups, including the UN and Amnesty International, condemned the strike as a war crime in a violation of maritime law. It was unthinkable. An independent state attacking an aid ship in international waters while famine looms ashore. The backlash to all of this, has been loud. The United Nations, European Union, and human rights groups called the Blockade and ship Strike, cruel Collective Punishment, the UN's Emergency Relief chief warned, blocking aid kills. It starves civilians. It strips them of dignity and hope. The Red Cross says Gaza's humanitarian system is on the verge of total collapse, the World Food Program reports empty warehouses and soup kitchens, rationing their final meals. On the ground, the suffering is staggering. UN food stores are almost completely depleted. Three quarters of Gaza's population are at emergency or catastrophic food deprivation levels. Hospitals are running out of medicine, anesthesia, and are often without electricity. 57 children have reportedly died from the effects of malnutrition. A number that's almost certainty, an underestimate. Israel defends the blockade, claiming it's necessary to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages. The irony, hostages were being released. Israel changed the rules, which led to the hostages remaining in captivity. Officials allege Hamas diverts aid in that only a new controlled system possibly run by US backed contractors can ensure aid reaches civilians. But the UN and major relief organizations, who were on the ground, have rejected these claims. Saying there's no credible evidence of large scale aid theft. And even if there were legal experts argue, it does not justify starving a civilian population. The International Court of Justice has issued binding orders for Israel to allow aid in. Orders that have been ignored. Under global pressure, Israel unveiled a controversial new plan. Private companies, likely US backed, would distribute aid from Israeli controlled hubs in so-called safe zones. Initially, four will be set up. Serving roughly 300,000 people each. Not enough to cover the entire population of Gaza, estimated at 2 million. More apparently will need to be set up. Crucially, none will be in the northern area of Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people are currently located. UN officials and aid groups say the plan amounts to force displacement and is designed to reinforce control over life sustaining items as a pressure tactic. There's also concern that Palestinians will be forced to move to the distribution hubs or work for miles to reach them, triggering their forced displacement. Depopulating large parts of the Gaza. Israel is being accused of weaponizing aid, making survival conditional on compliance. Even then, there's no clear timeline. No trucks are moving, no food is arriving. The blockade continues. And Gaza starves. Israel has now launched a new phase of the war operation Gideon's Chariots". Named after a biblical warrior who led a few hundred fighters in annihilating, the Midanites, an ancient Arabic nomadic tribe. Think about that for a second. Even the name speaks volumes about Israel views its final plan. The objective seize full control of Gaza, force the population south, to Rafa, and expel as many Palestinians to neighboring countries as possible. And ration just enough aid to keep starvation at bay or as Israel calls it, essential needs that will be distributed once a week. Israeli officials are clearly telegraphing their long-term plans to occupy Gaza. With one far-right politician and Netanyahu allies saying"once a maneuver begins, there will be no withdrawal from the territories we've captured, not even in exchange for hostages." The defense minister stated"in any temporary or permanent arrangement, Israel will not leave the security zone around Gaza. Israeli officials say the operation will intensify if no new hostage deal is reached by the time of Trump's upcoming visit to the region. But most analysts believe the government plans move forward no matter what happens with this visit. And Trump, it's unlikely he'll condemn or try to stop it. He's already shown his disdain for Palestinian and pro-Palestinian protestors over the past few months. But behind the show of force, Israel is facing a crisis within its own military. IDF Reservist. Attendance is dropping. Some units are seeing low turnout with the reports suggesting up to quarter reservists are flat out refusing to show up. Many are burned out, disillusioned, or unwilling to fight in the war, they see as endless and unwinnable. How long can Israel sustain this campaign and at what cost to both Palestinians and Israelis. As operation Gideons Chariots ramps up. The global response is growing louder and increasingly frustrated. The United Nations has issued urgent warnings. Human rights organizations have accused Israel of war crimes. European leaders have condemned the blockade and the attack on the aid ship as violations of international law. But in the US halls of power, the silence is deafening. Recent reports suggest there may be a rift growing between Trump and Netanyahu since he's not visiting Israel on his current Middle East tour. But Trump, he has always supported Israel saying he would give Israel everything it needs to finish the job in Gaza, not long after he took office. More recently, Israeli National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far right official who wants the complete destruction and takeover of Gaza, was hosted by Republican officials at Trump's Mar-a-Lago Resort in Florida. After the dinner, Ben Gvir boasted, that Republican, had express"support for my very clear position on how to act in Gaza, and that the food and aid depot should be bombed." Meanwhile, protests are erupting around the world in Spain, Morocco, Sweden, even Tel Aviv. Students in the US are protesting again recently taking over the library at Columbia and an engineering building at the University of Washington. Small protests have also broken out on other campuses nationwide. This, despite the extreme tactics that Trump administration has taken, silence critics of Israel and supporters of Palestine. Everybody is demanding the same thing. Stop the war. Stop the genocide. Allow Palestinians to return home and have a free and independent country. It's a moment of reckoning, not just for Israel, not just for Palestine, but for the global community, and especially for us here in the United States. Why? Because we're not just watching this war. We're funding it. We're shielding it diplomatically, and too often we're silencing those who dare to speak out. So Trump promised peace, but instead, what we've gotten is devastation, displacement, and despair. The question isn't just what's happening over there, it's what can we do to stop it from here? Thank you for listening to today's podcast. Everything I've covered is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the atrocities and horrors that have been occurring in Gaza. I haven't even mentioned the brutalities that have been occurring in the West Bank. In future episodes, I hope to revisit this topic and provide more context to the ongoing conflict. Until then, I urge you to find out more about what's happening to the Palestinians. There are many amazing podcasters covering the situation. I've personally found Owen Jones to be one of the best, and anybody interested should take a listen. If you wanna find out more about how Palestinians have lived in a system that even former President Jimmy Carter called Apartheid, I urge you to read A Day in the life of Abed Salama Anatomy of a Jerusalem tragedy, by Nathan Thrall. It's an eye-opening, brutally honest, and heart-wrenching account of a father's desperate search for his child across Gaza and West Bank after a terrible accident. This has been Khannecting the dots. If you like what you heard, please like, subscribe, and share with a friend. Until next time, stay curious, stay critical, and stay connected.