US elections: Israeli settlers pray for Trump, Palestinians hope for Biden

The function was held yesterday afternoon in front of the Cave of the Patriarchs. An initiative to "thank" the outgoing president and support him so that he "can win". The leaders of the Palestinian Authority are seeking contacts with the democratic challenger. A Biden victory would give new impetus to relations between Washington and Ramallah.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Some Israeli settlers prayed yesterday afternoon for the re-election of Donald Trump to the White House, repeatedly stressing his support for Israel, during a ceremony at a biblical site in the occupied West Bank.

“We have come to bless President Trump, both for the past, to thank him, but also for the future, that he succeeds in the coming election,” Yishai Fleisher, spokesman for the Hebron settlers, said at the Cave of the Patriarchs burial site.

The function took place in the West Bank, where according to tradition several leading personalities of the Old Testament are buried, including Abraham himself, a figure revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims. Inspired by his name, the Trump administration recently promoted the so-called "Abraham Accords", aimed at normalizing relations between Israel and some Muslim monarchies in the Gulf. Agreements defined as a "stab in the back" by the Palestinians and which have not interrupted the settlement policy promoted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The rabbi at the helm of the function celebrated yesterday invoked the US tycoon “four more years”, citing the president’s “commitment to the preservation and strengthening of the people of Israel, the state of Israel and the land of Israel”. A plan that in reality has not met the consensus of all the Jewish settlers, some of whom are against it because it grants 70% of land to the Palestinians for the birth of a future state in the West Bank.

The vote scheduled in the United States today, which sees Republican candidate Trump face Democratic challenger and former Vice President Joe Biden, is being followed with attention and conflicting interests across the Asian continent.

From China to Palestine, the outcome of the competition could change policies and alliances and, for some, represent disaster. A Trump victory, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh recently declared in a virtual speech to the European Parliament, would be "disastrous" for his people. "Another four years with Trump, God help us, God help you and God help the whole world."

Meanwhile, two leading figures in Palestinian diplomacy, speaking on condition of anonymity, have confirmed contacts with the Palestinian Authority (PA) with Biden's staff. "We want to let the Democratic candidate know - underline from Ramallah - that we want and are ready to sit down and discuss", unlike the closure and wall-to-wall politics with the outgoing tenant of the White House. Jihad Harb, a local political analyst, is sure that in the event of a victory Biden would give a new impetus to diplomatic relations between the United States and the Palestinians.

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• abraham accords