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Trump Brings the Art of the Deal to Gaza

A surprise offer? Not so much.

by | Feb 5, 2025 | Articles, Opinion, Politics


“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” President Donald Trump announced yesterday, February 4. While meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the president shocked the world by declaring the war-torn territory could soon fall under the control of the United States and that it would become “the Riviera of the Middle East.” Naturally, the Fourth Estate and politicos worldwide were apoplectic and quick to dismiss his overtures. However, that is often their default state when dealing with Trump, and it seems they may be failing to analyze his statement on differing levels.

Gaza on the Rocks

As he expounded on his plans for the “magnificent” region, Trump said that:

“I envision world people living there. The world’s people. I think you’ll make that into an international, unbelievable place. I think the potential in the Gaza Strip is unbelievable. And I think the entire world, representatives from all over the world, will be there, and they’ll live there. Palestinians, also, Palestinians will live there. Many people will live there.”

This statement contains a number of clues about what the president actually wants to achieve. Here are some potential scenarios.

The Warning Shot: On the most basic level, Trump could be sending a message that unless stability returns to the region, any hopes of Palestinians leading the state or even having a presence in it will be taken off the table. Decades of negotiation from third-party brokers have resulted in the rubble-strewn devastation that is unfit for living.

This is the equivalent of parents telling unruly children that if they can’t play nicely, the toy is going in the trash. If the wayward protagonists fall into line, they get to keep playing – if not, it’s game over.

An Outreach: Alternatively, when Trump says “representatives from all over the world” will be there, he could be signaling that regional partners have an opportunity to get involved in cooling temperatures in a neighboring hot zone and ultimately gain access to a Mediterranean port. For countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Yemen, the UAE, and Oman, this opens up a potential trade route that doesn’t involve shipping around the coastline of South Africa or navigating the Suez Canal (which can cost an additional half a million dollars in fees per ship).

No lasting peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians is ever likely to be reached without the cooperation of the surrounding Arab nations. By hinting at access and involvement in rebuilding, Trump might be suggesting that these crucial partners could gain far more than just keeping the neighbors quiet.

A Second Chance for Palestinians: Before the meeting with Netanyahu, Trump spoke about how badly Gaza is doing. “Look, the Gaza thing has not worked. It’s never worked,” Trump said. “I think they should get a good, fresh, beautiful piece of land, and we get some people to put up the money to build it and make it nice and make it habitable and enjoyable.”

He later added:

“You take certain areas and you build really good-quality housing, like a beautiful town, like some place where they can live and not die, because Gaza is a guarantee that they’re going to end up dying. The same thing is going to happen again.”

He further suggested that Gaza’s residents would “love to leave Gaza if they had an option. Right now, they don’t have an option.” But is this true?

When Hamas won the election in 2006, it was the first step in Palestinians gaining control over how they are governed. Unfortunately, Hamas was true to its founding charter and dragged the people into a protracted conflict that culminated in the devastation of October 7 – and chose never to hold elections again.

While there is a significant element within the Palestinian population who want to destroy Israel regardless of the cost, there are also families: real people caught in the middle of a war with no way out and no safe future on the horizon. Currently, these people have little choice but to keep their heads down. But what if Hamas was removed and forbidden to return?

A Calculated Distraction: There is always the possibility that the president was actually just throwing bones at the media in an effort to distract news outlets from the major overhaul underway in DC’s federal bureaucracy. The main news dailies have all taken their eyes off USAID and are filling their digital pages with fire and fury at Trump’s Gaza idea. All the while, Elon Musk and his six-man audit team can continue their DOGE efforts.

Only His Hairdresser Knows

Donald Trump has a habit of making bold statements in order to achieve his goal. In “The Art of the Deal,” he said, “My style of deal-making is quite simple and straightforward. I aim very high, and then I just keep pushing and pushing and pushing to get what I’m after. Sometimes I settle for less than I sought, but in most cases I still end up with what I want.”

When the president says he wants to flatten Gaza and rebuild it as a jewel of the Mediterranean, he may be serious. Then again, he may just be developing a strategy to bring everyone to the table. After covering Trump’s first term, the Fourth Estate should know by now that nothing is ever quite what it seems – especially when they are writing the headlines.

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Liberty Nation does not endorse candidates, campaigns, or legislation, and this presentation is no endorsement.

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Mark Angelides

Editor-in-Chief

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