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PARIS – A few hours after Donald Trump’s bombshell announcement that he planned to build the “Riviera of the Middle East” in a Gaza Strip cleared of its Palestinian inhabitants, White House spokespersons appeared to backtrack — as if the billionaire president had gotten carried away by his own real estate developer’s enthusiasm.
But Trump soon doubled down — then tripled down — reiterating his stance in interviews and on his social media platform. He went even further during an interview Monday with Fox News, declaring that Palestinians would no longer be allowed to return to Gaza, contradicting his initial suggestion.
“No, they wouldn’t (be able to return),” he said “Because they will have much better housing. Much better – in other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them.”
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If anybody doubted whether the President of the United States was serious about this idea — so clearly condemned as illegal by most of the world — one thing is crystal clear after his near-daily remarks on the subject: Donald Trump truly means what he’s saying. And that’s where it gets dangerous.
Arab nations push back on Trump’s Gaza plan
When Trump hears criticism, it only strengthens his resolve. He has returned to power with an imperial mindset, determined not to let anything or anyone stand in his way. For him, everything comes down to a balance of power — and he is convinced that the United States holds the upper hand on the international stage, whether militarily, economically or technologically.
No single Arab state backs his plan for Gaza
Yet, in the Middle East he has stepped into a delicate trap. By claiming responsibility for Gaza’s future, he is pulling the United States back into the very kind of regional crises he himself has long vowed to avoid.
Trump aims to resolve the Palestinian issue using the playbook of Israel’s far right while simultaneously orchestrating a Pax Americana in the region by bringing Israel and Saudi Arabia closer together.
Yet no single Arab state — least of all Saudi Arabia — backs his plan for Gaza. Whatever they may say in private, none of them wishes to be guilty of a new “Nakba” — the Arabic word for catastrophe referring to the 1948 forced displacement of Palestinians.
What’s next for Gaza?
Trump will have to make a choice. Arab countries are meeting at the end of the month to define a common position. However, Egypt and Jordan, the two countries designated to host the more than two million Palestinians from Gaza, have categorically refused. They fear destabilization and radicalization within their own societies.
In Israel, Trump’s offer is seen as a golden opportunity, and Benjamin Netanyahu exclaimed Monday in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament: “You wanted a day after [plan]? You got one…”
Hearing Donald Trump repeat that life will be wonderful in Gaza seems extravagant.
But before considering the day after, the current crisis must be resolved. The ceasefire is fragile: Hamas suspended hostage releases late Monday, accusing the Israeli state of violating the agreement. In Israel, pressure to resume the war is strong, and it is uncertain whether the agreement will move to its second phase.
In this explosive context, hearing Donald Trump repeat like a mantra that life will be wonderful in Gaza seems extravagant. It will be a real test of the American president’s sense of reality and his ability to impose his will against the rest of the world.
