While Miriam Adelson’s push for a Gaza ceasefire may apoear positive, Baroud warns it may mask a broader agenda to advance Israel’s annexation of the West Bank.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) reported that Miriam Adelson, a prominent Jewish-American billionaire and philanthropist, met with the families of Israeli prisoners in the United States last week, according to the Al-Jazeera Arabic website.
Adelson, an American-Israeli physician and businesswoman, is the widow of the late Sheldon Adelson, the former CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corporation.
Following her husband’s passing, she assumed leadership of the company and is now ranked as the fifth richest woman in the United States, with a net worth of $29.7 billion, according to the Forbes 2024 list. She is also the wealthiest individual in Israel.
During the meeting, Adelson reportedly emphasized the significant pressure exerted by former US President Donald Trump on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and mediators to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
She stated that Trump and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff are determined to finalize the deal, which includes securing the release of all detainees.
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Adelson highlighted the necessity of applying pressure, particularly on the Israeli side, to ensure the agreement’s success.
Families of the Israeli detainees reportedly expressed gratitude for Adelson’s involvement, with one representative stating, “We have the impression that without Miriam Adelson, the deal would not have happened.”
Adelson and her late husband were among Trump’s most significant donors and supporters during his first term in office.
Their substantial contributions to his 2016 presidential campaign and ongoing support for Republican initiatives have cemented their influence in US politics. In 2018, Miriam Adelson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Trump, recognizing her contributions and advocacy. Reports from 2020 revealed that the Adelsons had donated $172 million to Republican causes.
In 2024, Adelson reportedly offered to be Trump’s largest donor in his bid to return to the White House, on the condition that he commit to supporting Israel’s annexation of the West Bank if re-elected.
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“This revelation confirms what Palestinian advocates have long warned: Adelson’s agenda is deeply rooted in the annexation of the West Bank and the expansion of illegal settlements,” Palestinian journalist and editor of the Palestine Chronicle Ramzy Baroud said.
“As the war in Gaza draws to a close, Israel’s focus appears to be shifting back to its colonial ambitions in the occupied territories—a project that Adelson and her husband have aggressively championed for years,” he added.
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According to Baroud, “while Adelson’s support for a ceasefire in Gaza might seem like a step in the right direction, it is deeply troubling for the future of the West Bank. Adelson, alongside Israel’s extremist factions and settler groups, is acutely aware that their window to forcibly annex Palestinian land and displace indigenous communities—particularly in the northern West Bank—is closing.”
“Their calculated push to end the war in Gaza is not driven by a genuine desire for end the war, but by a sinister strategy to exploit the second term of Trump’s presidency”.
“This period is seen as a critical opportunity to accelerate the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and solidify Israel’s illegal colonization of the West Bank. For Palestinians, this represents the continuation of a decades-long struggle against displacement and oppression,” Baroud concluded.
(PC, AJA)
