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How Arabs See Trump's Deals with Islamists

(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - As President Trump was being hosted in Saudi Arabia by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the kingdom, the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at Israel - right over their heads. A pro-Houthi social media account posted a cartoon that depicted the U.S. president squeezing money out of the Saudis as a Houthi missile is seen soaring over his head on its way to Israel. The Houthis may have agreed to a temporary cessation of attacks on American targets, but they have certainly not abandoned their jihad to murder Israelis and Americans. Moreover, the Trump administration's direct negotiations with Hamas, as well as his visit to Qatar - Hamas's major sponsor and funder - is seen by many Palestinians and Arabs as a victory for the Palestinian terror group. Palestinian political analyst Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib noted, "Hamas accounts on Twitter and Telegram are exploding in orgies of joy, arrogance, foolish proclamations, and declarations that they're finally being recognized and legitimized by the USA...making the unconditional release of an American-Israeli hostage, Edan Alexander, from Gaza's tunnels completely worth it." "One 'analyst' for the terror group declared that this is the first direct 'political agreement' between the United States and Hamas, while another bragged about how Sinwar's October 7th attack ultimately made it possible for Hamas to force Trump to 'kneel' before the group to retrieve hostages." Trump and his advisors undoubtedly have good intentions, but they appear not to have taken into consideration that engaging Islamist leaders such as Syrian President al-Sharaa and Turkey's President Erdogan, and trying to strike deals with Iran and its Hamas and Houthi terror proxies, instead emboldens these terrorists and enemies of the U.S. Iran, Hamas and the Houthis will continue to call for death to Israel and America. Qatar will continue to provide political and financial support to anti-American Islamists and other Jihadis. The writer, a veteran Israeli journalist, is a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.
2025-05-20 00:00:00
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