Situation in Gaza Untenable

Many people are expressing astonishment at the statements made by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday evening in a press conference with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

The President suggested the United States should “take over” the Gaza Strip in order to carry out demolition and reconstruction work that would turn the devastated area into the “Riviera of the Middle East” – something the Israelis hoped for when they withdrew from the Strip in 2005.

Donald Trump even went as far as to say that Palestinians from Gaza should “permanently” resettle elsewhere. So, it is not surprising that some observers have described reactions as a chorus of criticism.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry says the country rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land. Turkey’s Foreign Minister says Trump’s comments about a plan to take over the war-ravaged Gaza Strip are “unacceptable.” And Egypt’s Foreign Minister called for swift reconstruction of Gaza without the displacement of Palestinians from the territory.

However, others who have a more positive attitude to the modern State of Israel say that there is logic to Donald Trump’s suggestions. And basically, the logic is that it is futile to keep repeating the mistakes of the past – mistakes that have kept the conflict going for decades.

Victoria Coates, a former Deputy National Security Advisor in the United States, summarised it well when she said:

“Today we heard President Trump come out and say what no American has had the courage to say before,
which is that the United States is willing to step in here and play the leadership role we need to play.”

“The situation in Gaza is untenable. What happened on October 7th of 2023 cannot happen again.
And the only way to ensure that is to break the paradigm, to create a new mould.”