By Fabio Bosco
From May 13 to 16, U.S. President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The visit followed the failure of Trump’s tariff increase, which was revoked due to condemnation from nearly everyone, including most of the U.S. population and major capitalists.
Trump is rejected by the Arab people in the Middle East, who do not accept the genocide in Gaza carried out by the State of Israel with U.S. support. The genocide has been ongoing for 19 months. During this period, Israel has killed at least 64,000 Palestinians, destroyed all hospitals and schools, and prevented the entry of humanitarian aid, including food, water, medicine, and fuel.
Trump is also rejected for threatening to attack Iran, for his criminal bombings of Yemen, for his sanctions against Syria, and for supporting Israeli aggression in Lebanon and Syria.
Multimillion-dollar deals and aggression
Before traveling, Trump attempted to dismantle some of these imperialist policies to ensure a successful visit and maintain U.S. influence in the region.
In Doha, Qatar’s capital, he began direct negotiations with Hamas in exchange for the release of an American-Israeli prisoner and the promise of humanitarian aid for Gaza. Half a million Palestinians are already dying of starvation there due to the total Israeli blockade since March 2.
In Oman and Italy, the U.S. held four rounds of negotiations with Iran aimed at limiting its nuclear program while securing the support of its regional allies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shiite militias in Iraq.
In exchange, the United States would lift harsh sanctions against Iran and refrain from taking any military action, either directly or through Israel. Negotiations are ongoing, but tensions have already eased.
Trump reached a ceasefire agreement with the Yemeni Houthis through the Omani government, ending the disastrous military aggression against Yemen that failed to defeat the Houthis. The Houthis have already shot down seven U.S. drones, each valued at $30 million. Additionally, two fighter jets crashed into the Red Sea, costing $67 million each.
The 50-day assault cost over $1 billion. Not only was the U.S. aggression ineffective, but it could also jeopardize Trump’s visit, according to Saudi leaders, as the Houthis could attack U.S. targets, including the capital, Riyadh. The agreement with the Houthis calls for an end to military action against U.S. targets but says nothing about attacks on Israel, which the Houthis continue to attack.
Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia
Saudi leaders welcomed him with a red carpet and much pomp. The same happened in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Hundreds of agreements worth approximately $2 trillion were signed, including Saudi Arabia’s purchase of $142 billion worth of weapons; Qatar’s purchase of 160 Boeing aircraft at a cost of $96 billion; and investment agreements in artificial intelligence in the US and the Middle East.
Trump announced the end of sanctions against Syria, a decision celebrated in Damascus, the capital city. However, he said nothing about the ceasefire in Gaza or the Arab League’s plan to end the Palestinian genocide, announced on March 4 and rejected by Israel.
In other words, Israel continues to have Trump’s approval to carry out genocide in Gaza, annex the West Bank, and attack its Arab neighbors. Arab leaders are considered traitors by their own populations, and the lavish reception given to Trump only reinforced this perception.
At the very least, one would expect a ceasefire in Gaza or support for the Arab League plan.
Seeking space: The Claws of Chinese Imperialism in the Arab World
During his visit, Trump lifted sanctions on Syria due to pressure from his Saudi and Turkish allies and in light of the potential for a commercial and political alliance between Syria and China.
In recent years, China has made significant inroads in the region. It has become the main trading partner of several states, including Israel. China has also become the guarantor of agreements between Saudi Arabia and Iran, as well as the agreement between Palestinian parties, which was signed in Beijing.
Surrendering Syria to the U.S.
Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, offered Trump a neocolonial agreement mortgaging Syrian oil and gas, similar to an agreement signed between Ukraine and the United States. The agreement also included the potential construction of a “Trump Tower,” intended to house a shopping center, in Damascus.
Additionally, al-Sharaa pledged to comply with the 1974 ceasefire agreement with Israel signed by Assad and shamefully arrested two members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad who were in Syria.
Response to genocide: Solidarity with Palestine Grows
While Arab leaders socialized with the primary sponsor of the Gaza genocide, young people and the working class took to the streets in several countries to demand an end to the bloodshed during the week commemorating the Palestinian Nakba.
The largest demonstration brought together half a million people in London, England’s capital, near the street housing the British government headquarters. In several cities, including Berlin, Germany and Haifa in occupied Palestine, police used excessive force.
At several U.S. universities, students resumed solidarity activities, including incorporating moving testimonies against the genocide in Gaza into graduation speeches.
Pressure mounts for a ceasefire
At the Cannes Film Festival in France, jury president and famous French actress Juliette Binoche paid tribute to Fatima Hassouna, a Palestinian photojournalist who was killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza. American actress Angelina Jolie did the same.
At the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, the Israeli singer was booed. In Norway, hotels are refusing to accept guests with Israeli passports, and the country’s trade union has adopted the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel.
According to Dutch media, a group of prominent genocide experts concluded that Israeli actions in Gaza constitute genocide. This conclusion aligns with those of the UN rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, and the human rights organization Amnesty International.
These actions and positions are pressuring imperialist leaders, such as French President Macron and the British magazine The Economist, to call for an immediate ceasefire.
Controversy: Surrender is not the way forward
Gilbert Achcar, a prominent Lebanese Marxist intellectual linked to the United Secretariat, to which several socialist organizations that make up the PSOL are linked, wrote an article entitled “Gaza and the Wisdom of Solomon,” in which he states:
“The truth is that Hamas today faces the dilemma of either relinquishing its control over Gaza — a decision it can negotiate on terms that guarantee the security and survival of the Strip’s residents — or continuing its strategy of liberation through arms and illusions. The latter, that is, illusions, are undoubtedly more powerful for the movement than the former.
This analysis makes two mistakes. First, it conveys the idea that Hamas’ liberation strategies are obstacles to the survival of Gaza’s inhabitants, when the real obstacles are the enemies of the Palestinian cause: the State of Israel, imperialist countries, Arab regimes, and the Palestinian bourgeoisie gathered around the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
The second mistake is believing that surrendering the Palestinian armed resistance guarantees survival. Between 1936 and 1939, the British crushed the Palestinian Revolution and disarmed Palestinians. Yet this did not prevent Zionist militias from expelling 800,000 Palestinians during the Nakba in 1948. Quite the contrary.
In the West Bank, the absence of armed resistance did not prevent Israel from colonizing Palestinian lands further, expelling over 40,000 residents from refugee camps, and killing over 1,000 Palestinians.
The third mistake is believing any guarantees offered by the State of Israel and its sponsors. Israel’s unilateral breach of ceasefire agreements signed by Israel and backed by the United States proves this point.
The only real guarantee is strengthening the Palestinian resistance—armed or unarmed—and fostering international solidarity among youth and the working class to liberate all of Palestine, from the river to the sea.
Strategy: A revolutionary party to promote international solidarity
Liberating Palestine requires a combination of actions by the Palestinian resistance, the Arab working class (against their regimes), and the international working class, especially in imperialist countries.
It also depends on having a clear vision of the enemies and allies of the Palestinian cause and of real solutions.
The two-state solution, for example, is illusory. It does not guarantee the right of return for all Palestinian refugees and hides the fact that Israel is a militarized state that lives off the theft of Arab lands.
Similarly, countries with oppressive regimes, such as Iran or China, may be temporary allies, but they are not strategic allies because they hinder the formation of solidarity among oppressed peoples.
This is why building a party that promotes Palestinian resistance, international solidarity, and a genuine perspective for the liberation of Palestine is very important.
The PSTU is part of the International Workers’ League (Fourth International), an international organization that is proud to be on the front lines promoting international solidarity and unity of action in various countries. Talk to us to learn about our proposals for internationalist action.
