I owe Danny Davis an apology. I speculated during our conversation today that one possible explanation for Trump’s recent rant declaring that the Palestinians of Gaza would be relocated to Egypt, Jordan or some other countries was simply a negotiating ploy. I opined that Trump would be able to tell Netanyahu, “Look, I proposed the idea but the Egyptians, Jordanians and Saudis turned me down.” With that no longer an option, Trump would be in a position to put some pressure on Netanyahu for a political settlement. I was wrong.
Trump announced tonight he wants to take over Gaza:
The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area. Do a real job, do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years.
Trump also insisted that the Palestinians will be relocated to a third country (unspecified) and will not have a right to return. This was scripted. You can see Trump is reading from a note card. Trump claims he has talked this over with Arab leaders in the region and that they are in favor of the deal. That is a lie.
Powerful Arab nations rejected President Trump’s suggestion to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring Egypt and Jordan.
Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League released a joint statement rejecting any plans to move Palestinians out of their territories in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
One of the executive orders Trump signed today eliminates US funds for the UN that support UNRWA, which means other countries will have to step in and make up the difference. Any hope that Trump will help the Palestinians was dashed today.
However, maybe Trump’s public comments about taking over Gaza were intended to keep Netanyahu from ending the ceasefire unilaterally. Now that Trump has pledged to put additional troops on the ground, it will make it more difficult for Netanyahu to resume military operations.
Trump’s grandstanding on Iran during the Netanyahu visit has to be taken with a big grain of salt. Trump vowed that Iran will never be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. However, Iran has made no declaration that it was trying to build one. Iran’s chief spiritual leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenie, apparently remains committed to eschewing a nuclear weapon — it is forbidden under Islamic law:
Despite having nuclear technology, Iran has never pursued building or using nuclear weapons, which its religion forbids, the country’s highest political authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday.
“Building and stockpiling nuclear bombs is wrong and using it is haram (religiously forbidden) … Although we have nuclear technology, Iran has firmly avoided it,” State TV quoted him as saying.
Iran has repeatedly denied ever having sought to build a nuclear bomb.
I think Trump’s statement was intended to prevent Israel from launching any attacks on Iran. I continue to believe that one of Trump’s emissaries is working out a deal for Trump to meet with Iran’s president.
Here is my chat with Danny Davis. We discussed the war in Ukraine and Netanyahu’s visit to DC:
As promised in my post from last Thursday, I was finally able to port my interview of Jim Jatras, a former State Department diplomat and consultant on foreign military and political policies:
Reprinted with permission from Sonar21.
