Was it a good idea, a bad idea, or the only idea? During a joint press conference with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump proposed an impromptu solution to the Gaza problem. The US will take charge of the wasteland and turn it into a garden spot. To say it caught the crowd of reporters flatfooted – some aghast – would be reading the gathering accurately. Once they got their equilibrium back, most scoffed in disbelief, while others mocked. But a few, including the Israeli prime minister, thought it a smashing idea.
Gaza Proposal Caught Audience by Surprise
While reporters busily took notes, Trump and Netanyahu recounted the agenda for their first meeting since Jan. 20. The president then explained: "This [Gaza] is just a demolition site. Virtually every building is down. … The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too." What? You heard him right. He said the US would get rid of all the unexploded ordinance and level the destroyed buildings. "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."
What the US would have to work with is a daunting challenge. Under "Big Tent Ideas," a commentary section in the Daily Caller, an article titled "Trump Says What No One Else Will About Gaza" describes the magnitude of the job.
"Gaza is a demolition zone, as Trump said. According to the UN, 69% of all Gaza buildings are damaged or destroyed, including at least 92% of residential buildings. The freshwater system is gone; the power grid demolished. … What remains can support a small fraction of the 2 million or so remaining Gazans consigned for now to live in tents or rubble."
Naysayers were out in force - just as one might from the loudest pundits with no better ideas of their own. NBC News quoted Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) "clutching his face in shock" and exclaiming, "You can report that I was speechless. That's insane. I can't think of a place on Earth that would welcome American troops less and where any positive outcome is less likely." If anyone had listened to the US president, they would know he did not talk about using US troops at all. As an aside, Trump may have found the answer to render “speechless” congressional babblers who have no workable plans themselves. If these folks believe they can dissuade Trump from pushing the only idea on the table, they should think again. In a Truth Social post, the US leader doubled down, explaining:
"The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting…The US, working with great development teams from all over the world, would slowly and carefully begin the construction of what would become one of the greatest and most spectacular developments of its kind on Earth. No soldiers by the US would be needed! Stability for the region would reign!!!"
When a successful real estate developer with numerous skyscrapers, high-rise condominiums, and luxury resorts worldwide talks about renovating a seaside piece of land, it's worth hearing him out. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Trump's proposal could "allow a large population in Gaza to leave for various places in the world," and that he was ordering the military to come up with plans to help Gazans who want to leave to do so. When the subject came up on Fox News' Hannity during an interview with Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu, the PM said without hesitation: "The actual idea of allowing for its Gazans who want to leave, to leave. I mean, what's wrong with that? They can leave. They can then come back. They can relocate and come back, but you have to rebuild Gaza. If you want to rebuild Gaza, you can't have — this is the first good idea that I've heard."
Eliminating Hamas Is Israel’s Job
Getting rid of Hamas is Israel's job, and the Israel Defense Force is ready to do that. Once peace is established, the reconstruction can begin. For those who believe such an undertaking is too big or not feasible for some other reason, remember that, in 1983, Saudi Arabia built a complex of 44 high-rise towers and over 840 villas in one year. It's a matter of scaling the project. For an example of what money can do with an empty desert, look no further than Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Typical of what is possible is the Burj Khalifa (or the Khalifa Tower) in what is marketed as "The centerpiece of a large-scale, mixed-use development to include 30,000 homes, nine hotels (including The Address Downtown Dubai), 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of parkland, at least 19 residential skyscrapers, the Dubai Mall, and the 12-hectare (30-acre) artificial Burj Khalifa Lake." Many of Trump's detractors would claim such a model is too ambitious. Dubai did not think so.
Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country has the most to lose if nothing is done, declared, "This is the first good idea that I've heard." If there are better ideas to bring peace and decent living conditions to the Palestinians in Gaza, they are a well-kept secret.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.
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