US president-elect Donald Trump is handing over US Middle East policy to people “who see God as some kind of cosmic real estate agent”, argues Stephen Zunes, chair of the Middle Eastern Studies Program at the University of San Francisco.

Regarding Trump’s “to whom it may concern” threat that “there will be all hell to pay in the Middle East” regarding Israeli hostages, Zunes tells host Steve Clemons that the situation for Palestinians is likely to get even worse.

But at least Trump “can’t pretend that he’s trying to reach an equitable, just peace” like his predecessors, Zunes says.