Khaled Meshaal Urges Trump to Abandon Israel-First Policy

Even Trump’s own MAGA fans now see Israel as a “burden” that undermines US interests, according to senior Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, who has called on US President Donald Trump to forsake Washington’s Israel-first policy.

Meshaal, the leader of Hamas outside of Palestine, told Drop Site in Doha on Thursday that the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) group of Trump’s supporters now sees Israel as a strategic burden.

“Unfortunately, one of the problems with the US administration is that it prioritizes Israel’s interests more than the United States’ own interests,” Meshaal stated, adding, “even Trump’s people—MAGA—came to realize that Israel is a burden on them, restricting and harming US interests.”

According to Meshaal, Hamas and the Palestinian people would welcome a role if the US forced Israel to leave the occupied lands.

Additionally, he stated that Hamas is prepared to collaborate closely with the United States and the international community to establish a stable security environment inside Gaza that will facilitate the enclave’s reconstruction, set the stage for democratic elections, and establish the political framework for talks pertaining to the future of a Palestinian state.

“Any attempt to establish a non-Palestinian authority inside Gaza is first unacceptable and second doomed to fail,”Meshaal emphasized.

“Any non-Palestinian authority—meaning foreign authorities or foreign forces inside Gaza—would be treated by Palestinians as an occupying authority, as an occupying power,” he added, asking, “Why would Palestinians reject Israeli occupation but accept another form of foreign occupation?”

The discussion took place about two months after the US, Egypt, and Qatar brokered a ceasefire in Gaza. In the meantime, Washington is urging other nations, especially Muslim ones, to send troops to Gaza as part of its plans for a so-called International Stabilization Force.