Trump giving Netanyahu ‘free hand’ in Gaza and the West Bank: Marwan Bishara

Marwan Basharo is Al Jazeera's senior political analyst. He joins us from Doha to look at this in a bit more detail. So Marwan, where does this Gaza ceasefire feature alongside these worsening raids in the West Bank? I mean, Trump a few weeks ago said he would set forth his vision for the West Bank in a few weeks' time. We're still waiting for him to do that. But given, of course, Trump's controversial plans for Gaza, I suppose Palestinians in the West Bank are bracing for impact. Unfortunately, you're right. The way in which Trump has been empowering Netanyahu, the same Netanyahu who was basically on his way down and out over the past several months, his plans for defeating Hamas did not work out. He's sought after by the International Criminal Court. He continuously tries to avoid his own corruption charges, his own trials. So in all in all, he became more unpopular, more criminal, and so on and so forth. And then he was saved by Netanyahu, by Trump. And now Trump continuously is offering him more and more support, more and more empowerment. And in fact, giving him a free hand to do as he wishes in Gaza as well as in the West Bank. That is one, I think, of the reasons why the special envoy has postponed his trip. I think basically his boss, Trump, wants to give Netanyahu time. He's buying him time to, you know, dispatch those Israeli tanks to the refugee camps in the West Bank and extend as much as he can the ceasefire and violate it in Gaza and make the Palestinians suffer and suffer and suffer until they can no longer and no longer want to live no more in Palestine. You mentioned the U.S. Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. He's an interesting individual in the Trump administration because not only is he managing ceasefire negotiations in Gaza, but also the fragile peace in Lebanon, plus he's helping to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war and may lead future nuclear talks with Iran. I mean, he's a Middle East envoy with a lot of portfolios, by the sound of things. Does that provide us any insight into how the Trump administration operates? Well, he's also a contractor. I mean, he doesn't have much of a diplomatic experience, right, nor political experience for that matter. His asset is that he is a close friend of President Trump. And his friendship to Trump goes back something like 40 years. And it goes back to the 40 years when Trump needed to buy a can of soda and he didn't have money for it. And so Steve Witkoff bought him a can of soda, believe it or not. And since then, they became friends. And that friendship between two real estate contractors is now projecting itself on the international diplomacy. So his role in all of this, to be direct, is not so much to be a detailed man. It's not so much to enter into the specificities of Ukraine, Palestine, Iran and so on and so forth, but rather to be Trump's trusted voice and ears in the Middle East and in Eastern Europe and so on and so forth. And in that sense, if you will, the reason for why Netanyahu appointed his own trusted man, Bremer, to be his special envoy to the negotiations for more, you know, whatever, phase two and so on and so forth. So here we are today. The man is too busy with Ukraine in order to focus on Palestine. Because in as much as Israel is a priority for the Trump administration, Palestine isn't. Meanwhile, Marwan, Palestinians continue to see their fate decided by outside powers. It does beg the question, particularly given these widening raids, deepening raids in the occupied West Bank, where is the Palestinian authority? They, of course, have the ultimate responsibility for safeguarding the rights of Palestinians. You know, I would have been OK if their fate is decided by world powers, right? I mean, I would have been. In fact, the Palestinian president says we need to get China, Russia, European Union and the United States together in order to discuss the future. But that's what we call international conference. I wish they wish everyone wishes, I should say, for an equitable peace whereby world powers can discuss this sort of the adults in the room. The problem today is that I mean, I'm laughing because it's just so tragic and surrealistic is you have to do Zionists, right? Whitkoff and Kushner hanging out in Miami, Florida, Miami, Florida. They're hanging out there, you know, after whatever afternoon of golf or whatever with their wives, picnics and so on and so forth. And that's where they discuss the future of Palestine. So we are in a very, very tragic and comical situation, I must say, when two Americans with no experience whatsoever, no leverage whatsoever, personally, I mean, aside from the relationship to the president, are discussing the future of Palestine. Surrealistic. Surrealistic indeed, Marwan. Always good to speak to you, Marwan Bishara, the Al Jazeera's senior political analyst. Make sure to subscribe to our channel to get the latest news from Al Jazeera.