It’s hard for President Donald Trump to top himself and create more outrage and confusion than he already has, but it’s not impossible. Case in point: Trump’s recent comments that the United States will take over the Gaza Strip and turn it into some kind of modern development project. The reverberations of this have been felt around the world, and the logistics of it are not only horrifying but immensely consequential. To Trump, it all seems very cavalier and doable.
Trump initially announced his horrid intentions after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House earlier this week. In case you missed it, he wants to rebuild the region into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Because it’s been so damaged and destroyed, he doesn’t think the “same people” should rebuild. Where should they go? Egypt or something.
He doubled down on this statement in a post on Truth Social where he said the takeover would happen after the war with Israel and that by then, the Palestinians and people like “Chuck Schumer” would already be resettled. See how simple it is? Then he would build new houses and the region would magically be changed for the better and for good!
Even better, there would be no need for U.S. soldiers, he claimed, and the region would be stable forever. What a solution. It sounds like something a middle schooler would propose after smoking pot for the first time; like something a schizophrenic would propose to themselves. It’s obviously not being taken well.
One X user commented that he’s treating the Gaza Strip like it’s the Vegas Strip. “Welcome to Magaza!” another said.
Won’t there be issues with landmines, and bombs, and destroyed buildings, you ask? Well, he has a plan for that, too! The United States will be the one responsible for getting rid of all the weapons and unexploded ordnance. How that will happen without U.S. soldiers seems like an issue, but since when has the president let facts get in the way of his beautiful visions?
The BBC spoke with some Palestinians about their emotions over the whole thing. Guess how they felt? Palestinian-American author Laila El-Haddad said the President demonstrated a “callous disdain and disregard” for not only Palestinian lives, but their humanity and dignity as well.
He treats them like pawns, she said, that he just wants to play around with. Netanyahu, shocker, went along with Trump. He said the proposal was “worth paying attention to” and was something that could “change history.” Sure, that’s why he’s agreeing. It has nothing to do with the billions in military aid America gives to Israel.
Despite the prime minister’s comments, other leaders in the Jewish community are up in arms over Trump’s statements. Dave Rich, the director of policy at the Community Security Trust, called the whole thing a euphemism for ethnic cleansing. He said if Palestinians want to leave of their own accord that’s fine, but anything beyond that else is nothing more than ethnic cleansing.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the solution is a “comprehensive peace” between Israel and the Palestinians and that whatever does happen needs to be something that’s actually doable and also “in-line with international law.”
The British Jewish progressive advocacy group Yachad was not as diplomatic about the whole thing. It called for “immediate, urgent, action” in response to Trump’s plan and said the idea more than 2 million Palestinians will simply willingly leave their homes is “absurd.”
Basically, Trump’s comments have the world fired up, exasperated, afraid and confused. Who knows what comes next.
Published: Feb 6, 2025 04:45 pm