Incoming US President Donald Trump wants the war in the Middle East to end as soon as possible. Experts say that is why they will support any step taken by Israel, including the possible annexation of the West Bank.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to congratulate Donald Trump, calling his triumph "the greatest comeback in history."
The elation was led by far-right Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir who, even before the official victory, dedicated tweets to Trump.
Netanyahu's office announced that the Israeli prime minister "was among the first" to talk to Trump on the phone, and that the conversation was "cordial", and that Israel's security and the Iranian threat were discussed.
Trump's victory came just hours after Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Galant, who was seen as a key liaison with outgoing US President Joe Biden's administration.
According to one poll, two-thirds of Israelis are happy that Trump won.
"We hope that Donald Trump will do great things for our country, also for America," a young passerby in Jerusalem told DW.
For Yehuda Shaul of the independent Israeli think tank Ofek, the point is clear – like rejoices like.
"I think that for ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, the fact that Israel has the most extreme government in history is like winning the Israeli lottery. And the fact that Donald Trump is entering the White House is like winning the American lottery," says Shaul.
Will he support the annexation of the West Bank?
During his first term, Trump made several controversial moves in support of Israel, most notably when he moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2017. He also recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights.
Trump is considered to be the architect of a series of agreements between Israel and Arab countries, made without considering the Palestinian issue.
In the second term, according to experts, Trump could go even further and support the plan for Israel to officially annex the parts of the West Bank where there are already settlements of orthodox Jews, and to leave autonomy in the remaining enclaves to the Palestinians.
"I fear that we will see a blank check for the Israeli authorities to do whatever they want in the West Bank," says Yehuda Shaul.
Israeli newspapers report that a "euphoric mood" arose among Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank due to Trump's victory.
Does Trump want a quick end to the war?
And yet, relations between Netanyahu and Trump cooled when the latter lost the election to Biden. After the terrorist attacks by Hamas since October last year, Trump criticized Netanyahu for being unprepared, claiming that nothing like this would have happened if he, Trump, was still in the White House.
"I think Netanyahu is kind of afraid of Trump," says Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat in New York.
"Netanyahu thinks he can manipulate Trump, but he's also scared of how Trump might react." "Biden, for example, never put pressure on Netanyahu, never reacted to his manipulations," adds Pinkas.
The explosive situation in the Middle East demands the attention of Washington. So far, Trump has only claimed that he will end the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, without giving details.
In April, Trump said that Israel is "marketingly losing the war in Gaza" and demanded that "it end quickly".
"Trump clearly told Netanyahu that he wants everything to be over by January 20, when he enters the White House," says Pinkas.
Nothing good for the Palestinians
There are fears that Palestinians will not be able to return to the northern part of the Gaza Strip, where Israel has renewed its offensive and civilians are between fighting and starvation.
An estimated 90 percent of Gazans were displaced during the 14 months of war.
One of them is Shadi Asad (22) from the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. He no longer hopes for anything from America.
"Kamala Harris is part of the current government and she supported Israel and the war," this student from southern Gaza, where he and his family are staying in a tent, told DW.
"We live in an unprecedented state of humiliation and nobody cares about us," he added. "We just want the war to stop, with or without an agreement, with or without Trump."
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