Trump's Gaza plan exposes ignorance of law, morality, and diplomacy

With his bizarre proposal for the United States to “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” after the Palestinians were shifted to neighbouring countries, US President Donald Trump has demonstrated both a shocking political amorality and reprehensible ignorance of international law. This announcement disrupts the fragile ceasefire and hostage-release deal of January 19, partly negotiated by Mr Trump’s own envoy before he took oath as President. Expectedly, the plan has been condemned by Hamas and its sponsor, Iran, and most West Asian administrations. Saudi Arabia has said it will not establish diplomatic ties with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state, threatening West Asian stability further.

 

The plan contradicts the US’ own long settled position on the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine crisis. Mr Trump’s plan and its enthusiastic endorsement by his Secretary of State Marco Rubio are at odds with the US state department’s declaration of January 20, the day the new President was sworn in, that “the United States is strongly committed to the development of a secure, free, democratic, and stable Palestinian society and governance”. Second, the 365-square km Gaza Strip, home to roughly 2 million Palestinians who were dispossessed by the creation of Israel, is not the US’ to “own”. It is Palestinian territory occupied till 2005 by Israel, which withdrew under international and domestic pressure. Since 2007, the enclave controlled by Hamas, which Western administrations have designated a terrorist group, has been blockaded by the Israeli Defence Forces, leaving Gazans trapped with few livelihood options.

 

After the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, including the kidnapping of 251 Israelis, Israel embarked on a policy of destruction with active US materiel and monetary support, which has created a severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave. Since Mr Trump says he does not propose to send US troops there, this ownership and development plan appears to be little more than an enabler for his “good friend” Binyamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition government to fulfil its stated aim of re-occupying a theoretically Palestinian-free Gaza. Since Arab nations have rejected Mr Trump’s exhortations ahead of this announcement to absorb Palestinians from Gaza — most already host large numbers of refugees — the encouragement to further Israeli-imposed destruction is implicit in the plan. Offering business opportunities to global real estate majors to profit from urban redevelopment plans can be viewed as significant collateral gains.

 

Images of returning Palestinians laboriously seeking to rebuild their lives amid the destruction caused by concentrated Israeli bombardment via American-supplied bombs certainly live up to Mr Trump’s description of post-bellum Gaza as a living hell. He says the US would be responsible for dismantling unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site. Any responsible leader, especially of the world’s sole superpower, could have volunteered to do so without seeking to exercise ownership and development rights. In fact, a demonstration of genuine global leadership would have demanded that the US bring together a coalition of countries to rebuild Gaza and persuade Israelis to lift the blockade to enable Gazans to live in dignity, prosperity, and peace. That would go some way towards healing the deep divisions that Israel has wrought in the region. The route to converting Gaza into something resembling a Riviera demands realistic and ethical leadership, not cynical commercial solutions.