Making sense of Trump on Gaza

How do we make sense of President Trump’s announcement that the United States would take over Gaza, and its inhabitants should move elsewhere?

Trump’s defenders claim this is an example of his strategy of making extraordinary demands in order to move towards an agreement on his terms. Trump, after all, boasts that he is the greatest dealmaker of all times.

It is also the case that Trump’s announcement shook up the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in ways that few foresaw. Already Administration spokespeople are walking it back: “That does not mean boots on the ground in Gaza. That does not mean American taxpayers will be funding this effort.” said his Press Secretary.

But the praise Benjamin Netanyahu lavished on Trump after they met in what was remarkably the first visit of a head of government to Washington since the Inauguration suggests this may be more than a thought bubble. Were Trump to follow through this would give Netanyahu the opportunity to claim the relentless war on Hamas had succeeded.

Netanyahu is correct in saying Trump has been more supportive of Israel than any previous US President. Even if the Gaza proposal is a fantasy it is matched by unlimited promises of military support, increased hostility to Iran and a green light for Israeli military operations.