Unpredictable Trump is just what the Arab World needs

My column at the Arab News this weeks discusses the reality of President Donald Trump and how his unpredictability is exactly what the Arab World needs today to undermine the fanatics, destroy the terrorist regime of Bashar al-Assad and achieve peace between Palestine and Israel

By Ray Hanania

My column this week in the Arab News, the largest English language newspaper in the Middle East based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, analyzes President Trump’s recent decision to bomb a major air force base in Syria.

The U.S. strike against the air base was driven by the fact that the chemical weapons used to kill anti-Assad rebels in the city of Khan Sheikhoun in the Idlib Province in Syria, north of Lebanon. Dozens of civilians including women and children were murdered in the chemical attack that was traced to Syrian terrorist leader Bashar al-Assad. Assad and his family have used chemical weapons over the past 40 years to oppress its population and discourage civilians from protesting against Assad’s violent brutality.

In less than 72 hours, US battleships fired 59 Tomahawk Missiles destroying the aircraft that were used to drop the chemical weapons which killed dozens of civilians including children. The attack was on the Syrian air force base at Al Shayrat air base south of Homs.

The fascinating aspect of this act in defense of innocent civilians being massacred by an international terrorist leader, Bashar al-Assad, is that it also raises questions about the lies and fake news being spread by anti-Trump “journalists” who have abandoned journalism principles to become political activists against the President’s administration.

The mainstream news media, which has been the primary conveyor of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab racism, discrimination and hatred over the past 20 years and more, has pushed the lie that Trump is subservient to the Russians and to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who acts more like an organized crime mafiosa than a government leader. Putin has ordered the murder of many of his political rivals to remain in power in a false facade of “Democracy.”

Bashar and Asma al-Assad, President and first-...

Terrorist Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma al-Assad, who have used chemical weapons and violence to destroy any Syrian civilian who challenges his atrocities. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Trump, who has maintained some business dealings in Russia, has tried to be civil and respectful, and that has been used by the lying mainstream news media to convey a false impression that Trump is under Putin’s thumb. The news media has asserted that Trump was working with Russian hackers who exposed the lies and criminal behavior of Hillary Clinton and her campaign allies.

But now we see how independent Trump is of Russia and it has confused the lying news media.

Additionally, despite the lies and false perception promoted by the biased mainstream news media that Trump is anti-peace and is a shill for Israeli extremism, Trump has both embraced Israel and declared he will defend its right to exist, but also has countered that by forcefully denouncing the building of illegal Jewish-only settlements in the occupied territories.

Trump, who campaigned on a promise (that every president has made) to relocate the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem, quickly put that promise on hold after winning the election, which is what every one of his predecessors have done in the past including President Barack Obama.

Trump clearly is willing to build an agenda that not only embraces his political loyalties, but also his own loyalties to principles of justice and fairness when it comes to the Middle East.

Despite lies that he is “anti-Muslim,” Trump may turn out to be the most pro-Arab and pro-Muslim president the United States has ever had, based on the actions he is taking. Trump has certainly done more to stand up for Palestinian, Muslim and Arab rights than his predecessor, President Obama, whose powerful speeches were devoid of followup and action.

Syria is a good example where Obama spoke loudly of principle but did nothing to protect the Syrian civilians being massacred by Assad’s army.

To read my column in the Arab News, click here.

(Ray Hanania is an award winning Palestinian American columnist and author, and former Chicago City Hall reporter. Email him at rghanania@gmail.com.)

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rayhanania

Managing Writer at The Arab Daily News

RAY HANANIA — Columnist

Ray Hanania is an award winning political columnist and author. He covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992. Hanania began writing in 1975 when he published The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper which was distributed through 12,500 Middle East food stores in 48 American States (2004-2007).

Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues for the Arab News in Saudi Arabia at www.ArabNews.com, and for TheArabDailyNews.com, and TheDailyHookah.com.

Palestinian, American Arab and Christian, Hanania’s parents originate from Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media;In 2009, he received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. Hanania has also received two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild, and in 1990 was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.

His wife and son are Jewish and he performs standup comedy lampooning Arab-Jewish relations, advocating for peace based on non-violence, mutual recognition and Two-States.

His Facebook Page is Facebook.com/rghanania

Email him at: RGHanania@gmail.com

Visit this link to read Ray's column archive at the ArabNews,com www.arabnews.com/taxonomy/term/10906