Get exclusive access to the White House Watch newsletter at no cost and stay informed about what the 2024 U.S. election means for Washington and the world.
Donald Trump is once again making headlines, and not without controversy. After a dramatic return to the helm at the White House, Trump has introduced a plan that might be his most audacious yet. Known for making bold moves like proposing to buy Greenland or take control of the Panama Canal, Trump has now turned his attention to Gaza – a region already ravaged by conflict. His suggestion involves relocating the 2.2 million residents of Gaza and having the U.S. assume control there, suggesting a “long-term ownership position.” This plan isn’t just bold; it raises serious moral and safety concerns.
At first glance, it’s tempting to brush off Trump’s comments as mere grandstanding. The concept seems so far-fetched that it might never come to fruition. However, the fact that he introduced the idea on the world stage, with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu beside him, speaks volumes about the recklessness of America’s leader in handling foreign policy matters.
Trump, the self-styled dealmaker, seems to see the international stage as nothing more than a grand marketplace. He treats nations and regions as mere bargaining tools, often ignoring the possible fallout of his actions. This approach is dicey, creating fear and uncertainty while damaging the U.S.’s reputation worldwide and straining its alliances.
Should the U.S. move to seize control of Gaza, it would flout international norms. Military action in the area, ruled by Hamas since 2007, contradicts Trump’s prior promise of pulling American troops from Middle Eastern conflict zones. It echoes the misguided 2003 Iraq invasion and could torpedo any possibility of a historic agreement that encourages Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel.
Forcing Gazans out en masse would indeed cross into the realm of ethnic cleansing, drumming up painful memories of 1948 when substantial numbers of Palestinians were displaced following Israel’s declaration of independence. Trump seems to expect Egypt and Jordan to take in the Palestinian population, but they’ve staunchly rejected such a notion.
During his remarks, Trump floated the idea of transforming Gaza – devastated by sustained Israeli airstrikes after Hamas’s horrifying attack on October 7, 2023 – into a “Riviera of the Middle East” for international visitors. The thought of Gazans remaining there seemed to be an afterthought to him. Much like during his first presidency, he appears unable to empathize with the Palestinians, considering them merely chess pieces in a larger geopolitical strategy.
If Trump can contemplate taking over Gaza, one wonders what might come next. There’s a palpable concern that he might give Netanyahu’s hardline government the nod to annex the occupied West Bank as well. In his initial tenure, Trump overturned age-old U.S. policy by acknowledging Jerusalem – a city with a contested status – as Israel’s capital and supporting Israeli claims over the Golan Heights.
The hope among America’s Arab and Western allies is that Trump’s display was mere bravado, a tactical move in his effort to broker a deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel while leaning on regional players to address the situation in Gaza under Hamas’s grip. However, they can hardly take comfort in this hope alone.
Trump has long promised peace in the Middle East, a vision that seemingly includes striking a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia. What he overlooks, though, is that achieving such peace requires resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict. It simply cannot entail displacing Gazans to make way for luxury developments along its Mediterranean shores.
