Palestinian media mixed on Trump, but all criticize embassy plans
Even official PA outlet, which has tried to avoid confrontation with new US administration, slams president over planned move
Dov Lieber is a former Times of Israel Arab affairs correspondent.
The inauguration of US President Donald Trump drew cautious optimism from a media outlet controlled by the Palestinian Authority, while independent outlets and those controlled by Hamas took a more critical approach to the rise to power of the hawkish strongman.
But while the official PA outlet toed the line carved by Ramallah, which has sought to avoid confrontation with the upcoming administration, it did attack his promise to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The headline in the official Palestinian Authority daily paper Al-Hayat for Trump’s inauguration speech contained his “America First” slogan, along with his pledge to “eradicate radical Islam terrorism.”
While describing Trump as a man with “no political or diplomatic experience taking the leadership of the biggest power in the world,” the PA newspaper cited Trump’s promise “to restore America to greatness.”
The PA has been careful to not outwardly criticize Trump while stressing its anger over the 45th president’s promise to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem — a move the Palestinians believe will damage their own claim to East Jerusalem as a future capital.
This balance was on full display in Al-Hayat’s second front-page article, whose massive headline said: “The president congratulates Trump and looks forward to working with him for peace; Abu Mazen [Abbas]: Jerusalem will remain the capital of the Palestinian state.”
The article highlighted statements made by the grand mufti of Jerusalem, who “warned of dangerous measures for moving the American embassy to the Jerusalem.”
The proposed embassy move has inflamed tensions, with officials in the US and the Arab world warning that it could lead to renewed violence from the Palestinian street.
Last week Jibril Rajoub, the head of the Palestinian soccer association and a senior Fatah leader, called Trump a “lunatic” and a “fascist,” attacking his promise to move the embassy to Jerusalem in an interview translated by MEMRI.
While the news coverage from Al-Hayat was less obviously critical of Trump himself, a cartoon showing the statue of Abraham Lincoln giving him a thumbs down sent a clearly critical message.
Any upbeat notes found in Al-Hayat were not repeated in Pan-Arab daily Al-Quds al-Araby, where a sense of dread was on display.
“The world enters the period of Trump amid opposition protests denouncing hatred and fear,” read a headline from the daily.
A cartoon carried in Al-Quds al-Araby about Trump’s inaugural speech shows missiles firing out of his mouth at a tired-looking dove with the word “peace” written on it in Arabic.
The Hamas-affiliated website PalInfo ran a small, muted story on the inauguration headlined, “Trump takes the constitutional oath in Washington.”
The milquetoast story, which did not mention Trump’s rhetoric about eliminating Islamic terrorism, was contrasted by the terror group’s official responses, in which he was derided for his comments.
“This ignoramus did not study history and does not know the fate of those who ignited the crusader wars. We are an Islamic nation that may lose a battle but will win all the wars,” Hamas politburo deputy head Moussa Abu Marzouk wrote on Twitter Friday.
On Sunday, Abu Marzouk issued an official response on behalf of the group that hewed closely to statements made by him on Friday to Palestinian news site Quds Press, saying Trump’s current political stances “do not serve stability of the region, and tempt Israelis to more radicalism.”
Hamas did not criticize any specific policy of Trump aside from his promise to move the embassy to Jerusalem.
“The threat to transfer the US Embassy to Jerusalem constitutes an increasing threat, especially as it comes from a state the size of the US,” Marzouk said in the Sunday statement.
However, he pointed out that there is a difference “between word and deed” for US presidents, especially those issued during the “first period” of their presidency.
As an example, Marzouk cited the “best proof” of former US president Barack Obama, who he says did “not implement at all” his early promises made in Egypt and Turkey to find peace in the Middle East.
