One Nation Above All-Israel: Tracking Trump’s Second-Term Decisions in Favor of Israel
The Trump administration has threatened to withhold at least $1.9 billion in disaster preparedness funding from states and cities that support boycotts of Israel or Israeli companies, the latest move underscoring Trump’s unwavering support for Israel.
The new criteria could restrict access to at least $1.9 billion earmarked for search-and-rescue equipment, emergency manager salaries and backup power systems used during blackouts, Reuters reported.
To be eligible for federal funds, the grant notices say that states and cities must follow the “terms and conditions” set forth by the Department of Homeland Security.
The policy underscores how the Trump administration has linked its stance on Israel to unrelated federal funding, including billions of dollars in research grants for colleges and universities.
The return of President Donald Trump has been hailed by Israel who see his second term as a return of uncritical support of Israel.
Here’s how Trump has helped prop Israel up since taking office.
Gaza Stance
Trump’s involvement in Gaza ceasefire talks and his enthusiastic plans of ethnically cleansing the Palestinian enclave have raised Israeli hopes that his second term will be as pro-Israeli as his first.
He suggested that the US would “take over” and “own” Gaza and Israel will hand over Gaza to the US after Palestinians have been forcibly displaced elsewhere in the region.
He said, “We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal. And I don’t want to be cute. I don’t want to be a wise guy. But the Riviera of the Middle East.”
His plans were strongly rejected by Palestinians and neighboring countries, including Egypt and Jordan, as expelling the Palestinian population would be a second Nakba. His proposal to remove Gaza’s population has been called ethnic cleansing by human rights organisations.
Diplomacy
Trump’s diplomatic moves and appointments have also reflected his unwavering support for Israel.
He appointed Mike Huckabee as the US ambassador to Israel. A prominent figure in the pro-Israel evangelical Christian movement, Huckabee has previously denied the existence of the Palestinian people.
Marco Rubio was appointed as the Secretary of State. Rubio’s connections to the zionist lobby are well-documented, with his political career bolstered by figures such as Norman Braman, a prominent zionist businessman. His advocacy for the occupation state is clear in his public statements, including his support for Israeli military assaults and his calls for unlimited support for Israel.
A real estate businessman with no diplomatic experience, Steven Witkoff’s appointment as Special Envoy to the Middle East is seen as another example of Trump’s reliance on Zionists. Witkoff, who worked closely with Jared Kushner on the Trump normalization plan, is supposed to bring a deal-making approach to Middle East diplomacy.
His support for Israel, especially the Gaza genocide, further aligns him with Trump’s pro-Israel stance. Witkoff also has close ties to Netanyahu.
Attacking International Courts and Investigators
The Trump administration has intensified its efforts to shield Israeli and American actors from international legal scrutiny, particularly as global outrage mounts over the genocide in Gaza.
The administration announced sanctions against International Criminal Court (ICC) officials in June, naming four judges whom it accuses of taking “illegitimate and baseless actions” against the US and its allies, including Israel.
Washington designated Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin and Beti Hohler of Slovenia.
“As ICC judges, these four individuals have actively engaged in the ICC’s illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel. The ICC is politicized and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies,” Rubio said.
Both judges Bossa and Ibanez Carranza have been on the ICC bench since 2018. In 2020 they were involved in an appeals chamber decision that allowed the ICC prosecutor to open a formal investigation into alleged war crimes by American troops in Afghanistan.
ICC judges also issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant last November for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza genocide. Alapini Gansou and Hohler ruled to authorize the arrest warrant against Netanyahu and Gallant, Rubio said.
“These measures are a clear attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution which operates under the mandate from 125 states parties from all corners of the globe,” the ICC said in response to the sanctions.
“Targeting those working for accountability does nothing to help civilians trapped in conflict,” the statement continued.
During the first Trump administration in 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her top aides over the court’s work on Afghanistan. The measures also follow a January vote at the US House of Representatives to punish the ICC in protest over its Netanyahu arrest warrant.
The US has already sanctioned the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, because of his role in pursuing the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.
Most recently, the US imposed sanctions against UN rapporteur for Palestinian rights Francesca Albanese. The decision followed her calls for the ICC to investigate US and Israeli officials and companies involved in the occupation of Palestinian land and Gaza genocide.
Legal experts have warned that sanctioning UN officials for fulfilling their mandate sets a dangerous precedent. Rights groups condemned the move as an attack on international law and an attempt to intimidate watchdogs.
Arms Sales and Bombing Support
On 28 February, Trump approved an almost $2.5 billion arms sale to Israel, including heavy bombs and Predator munitions.
Throughout 2025, the US resumed deliveries of MK-84 bombs, lifted Biden restrictions imposed by Biden, and pledged support for Israel’s broad self‑defense operations including in Gaza, West Bank, and Syria.
He revoked a Biden-era policy that required US allies to ensure American weapons were not used in violations of international law. The policy was introduced during Biden’s presidency amid concerns over Israel’s genocide in Gaza. However, it failed to stop Israel from violating international law.
Lifting Settler Sanctions
Among the host of executive orders signed by Trump following his inauguration was the lifting of sanctions imposed on more than 30 Israeli settler groups and entities by the Biden administration.
Settler violence has long been a fact of life for Palestinians living within the occupied West Bank. But attacks and the theft of Palestinian land have soared since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Crackdown on Pro-Palestine Activism
The Trump administration has intensified crackdown on universities and pro-Palestinian protesters after he signed an executive order on January 29 denouncing an “unprecedented wave of vile anti-Semitic discrimination, vandalism, and violence” on US campuses.
“I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathisers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before,” Trump said.
Since Trump took office, the US government has used its immigration enforcement powers to crack down on international students and scholars at several American universities.
Trump and other officials have accused pro-Palestine protesters and others of being “pro-Hamas. Many protesters have said they were speaking out against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
