Trump's pro-Israel cabinet picks spark divisions online
As President-elect Donald Trump announces cabinet nominations for his upcoming term, social media is reacting to the potential consequences of what already seems to be a staunchly pro-Israel, Christian-Zionist administration.
Only one week after Trump won the 2024 presidential elections by a landslide, almost all of his cabinet nominations have a staunchly pro-Israel history, including Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Florida Congressman Mike Waltz, New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, and South Dakota's governor, Kristi Noem.
Donald Trump has reportedly selected Kristi Noem to serve as his DHS secretary
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) November 12, 2024
In March, Noem introduced a bill cracking down on criticism of Israel on the grounds of "ensuring the security of God's Chosen People" pic.twitter.com/eq514wuV0M
The cabinet pick that caused the most significant reaction online was Trump's nomination for US ambassador to Israel, former governor of Arkansas and evangelical Christian preacher Mike Huckabee. Huckabee has on multiple occasions vocalised his support for Israel's complete annexation of the occupied West Bank and said that there is "no such thing as a Palestinian".
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Mike Huckabee 🇺🇸❤️🇮🇱
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) November 12, 2024
In a resurfaced 2017 clip that is circulating heavily online, Huckabee - who claims to have visited Israel more than 100 times - said: “There is no such thing as the West Bank - it’s Judea and Samaria. There is no such thing as settlements - they’re communities, they’re neighbourhoods, they’re cities. There is no such thing as an occupation.”
In a resurfaced 2017 interview, Mike Huckabee, newly nominated US ambassador to Israel, stated, “There is no such thing as the West Bank, it’s Judea and Samaria.” pic.twitter.com/n2sS7odjlf
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) November 13, 2024
Responses to Huckabee's nomination, and Trump's cabinet in general, have been filled with reactions ranging from worrying about the dangerous decisions this administration will make regarding both Gaza and the occupied West Bank to the continued accusations from liberals that pro-Palestinian Americans who protested against former presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris are to blame.
Watching Arabs in Dearborn slowly awaken to the reality that Trump played them for absolute fools is quite satisfying.
— Adversus Nihilismus (@AdversusN) November 12, 2024
Another social media user wrote: "For anyone who refused to vote for Kamala because she wouldn’t call for a ceasefire, congratulations - Palestine will be wiped off the map with the help of Trump. You did it. Hope that moral high ground felt good for a second you fucking dipshits."
The Trump administration is staffing itself with people hostile to the very idea of Palestine and a 2 state solution.
— The Timeline Shambler (@TheRocsWorld) November 12, 2024
But Harris not appreciating protesters in her rallies was the real problem, huh?
You really showed the Dems, huh? https://t.co/OD2Jf8UxCu pic.twitter.com/m3OzIJeklZ
"Palestinian Americans that voted for Trump because they didn’t like the Biden administration’s stance on Palestine will have a rude awakening very soon," another wrote on X.
In response to these critiques, many Arab, Muslim and pro-Palestinian social media users say that Trump's picks were not only expected but are a continuation of the Democratic Party's policy for Israel and occupied Palestine.
Some have drawn similarities between the viral clip of Huckabee and former President Bill Clinton's recent statements in Michigan, where he said Israelis "were there first" before Islam existed and called the disputed land "Judea and Samaria".
"Unpopular opinion but Huckabee is just saying aloud what the Biden administration has being silently allowing under the diplomatic cover of the 'two state solution'," one wrote.
Lotta libs about to be very upset at these words that Bill Clinton definitely didn't also exactly say a few weeks ago to Muslims in Michigan https://t.co/6PARRtL4n1
— Fatt Meldbush🇵🇸 (@MattFeldbush) November 12, 2024
Journalist Sana Saeed took to X to say that she thinks that many Democrats would not oppose Trump’s upcoming administration when it comes to Israel, as Trump's administration "will build on the status quo created by the Dems".
Does anyone really believe that many Democrats will oppose most of the Trump administration’s incoming policies wrt Palestine & Israel? https://t.co/X6sh3UirOX pic.twitter.com/kktikpzdM8
— Sana Saeed (@SanaSaeed) November 12, 2024 by
“Liberals are posting about how problematic Trump's cabinet picks could be regarding Palestine as if their picks have not been facilitating a year-long genocide and annihilation against Palestinians in Gaza,” Palestinian activist Raha Abdulhaq, wrote.
Many pro-Palestine social media users are also responding to the conservative "anti-establishment" crowd that is surprised Trump has immediately shown support for Israel.
seeing those edgy supposedly anti-establishment conservatives and libertarians shocked that Trump is yet again prepping for an ultra-Zionist neocon cabinet and administration is hilariously pathetic. Why did you think he was allowed to win the Republication nomination and general…
— ☀️👀 (@zei_squirrel) November 12, 2024
"The only force that can end Trump's political life in an instant is the Israel lobby and its agents who totally own him, just as they totally own Kamala and Genocide Joe and every establishment Democrat," social media user @zei_squirrel continued.
Others are critiquing the sudden interest in many liberals who have not spoken up about the atrocities in Gaza until now.
"Palestinians suffer under democrats & they never tried to stop it, now they care about Palestine?" one X post reads.
how people talk about palestine today and in the coming weeks is how they always felt about palestine. if you’ve ever typed “trump is going to blow gaza off the map” you told on yourself. you think foreign policy is a game and that people who don’t live here are less important.
— jourdain searles (@judysquirrels) November 6, 2024
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