Trump’s Gaza plan: bluff or not, one man benefits
As President Trump laid out his plan to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to “countries of interest with humanitarian hearts”, Binyamin Netanyahu sat next to him, smiling wordlessly and nodding along.
Many commentators agreed that the proposal was too audacious to take seriously. But in pledging a US takeover of Gaza, the president handed the Israeli leader a political lifeline.
Netanyahu, in Washington on a week-long diplomatic mission, has faced threats back home from far-right members of his cabinet to quit the coalition underpinning his government if the war ends with Hamas still in control in Gaza.
Meanwhile …
Trump’s Gaza plan will be seen as flying in face of international law
When US President Donald Trump began speaking 10 days ago of Gaza as a demolition site, calling to “clean out that whole thing”, it wasn’t clear how far these were off-the-cuff remarks.
But in the lead up to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit, in his Oval Office comments before the meeting, and in the press conference itself, it’s now clear he is profoundly serious about his proposals.
They amount to the most radical upending in the established US position on Israel and the Palestinians in the recent history of the conflict; and will be seen as flying in the face of international law.
The Guardian Squeals! – Trump’s declaration US will ‘take over’ Gaza Strip sparks global condemnation
‘New world order’ or ‘dangerous delusions’? Israeli officials react to Trump’s Gaza plan
Senior Hamas officials call Trump’s proposal for Gazans to relocate from the Gaza Strip “racist” and “a move that could lead to chaos and tension in the Middle East.”
