US President Donald Trump's shocking statement that he would like the United States to take control and rebuild the Gaza Strip may sound like it came out of nowhere, but it is consistent with the expansionist ambitions of his new administration, BTA writes, citing "Reuters".
Since Trump returned to the White House a little more than two weeks ago, his "America First" approach seems to have morphed into "More America" and the president has focused on acquiring new territory despite campaign promises to keep the country out of foreign commitments and "forever wars."
Trump raised the possibility of the United States acquiring Gaza during a White House news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday. He said he envisioned a resort there where international communities could live in harmony.
The casually made proposal caused diplomatic shockwaves in the Middle East and around the world, but is typical of the way Trump has approached his second term - treating ties with close allies like Canada and Mexico as largely transactional and seeing the entire world as one big business opportunity. These views were underscored by his proposal on Monday to create a US sovereign wealth fund.
He has raised the possibility of his country regaining the Panama Canal, suggested that the US take Greenland from Denmark and repeatedly suggested that Canada become the 51st US state.
Reuters/Ipsos polling shows little public support for these ideas, even within Trump's own Republican Party.
At the same time, he has threatened Canada and Mexico with economic sanctions if they do not accept Trump's demands for border security.
Trump has also raised the possibility of displacing most of the two million Palestinians who live in Gaza, saying the territory is uninhabitable after the nearly 16-month war between Israel and Hamas. Rights activists condemn such ideas as ethnic cleansing. Any forced displacement would likely violate international law.
At a news conference with Netanyahu yesterday, Trump sounded like the real estate developer he once was, even as he acknowledged the hardships faced by Palestinian residents of Gaza.
“We're going to make it an international, incredible place. I think the potential and the Gaza Strip are incredible,“ Trump said. “And I think the whole world, people from all over the world, will be there and they'll live there. Palestinians too, Palestinians will live there. A lot of people will live there,” he added.
Trump's son-in-law and former adviser Jared Kushner last year called Gaza “a precious“ coastal property.
Netanyahu praised Trump for "thinking outside the box," but neither leader addressed the legality of Trump's proposal.
However, Trump may not be serious about American control of Gaza, said Will Wechsler, senior director of Middle East programs at the Atlantic Council. He may be doing what he often does - adopting extreme positions as part of a negotiating strategy, Wechsler said.
"President Trump is following his favorite playbook - changing his stated goals to increase his influence in anticipation of upcoming negotiations," the expert said. “In this case, these are negotiations about the future of the Palestinian Authority,” Wechsler added.
IT’S HARD TO SEE A “HAPPY ENDING”
But Trump’s proposal seems to reject the idea of a two-state solution in favor of some new paradigm in which the United States might act as a buffer in the region.
“Wow,” said John Alterman, a former State Department official who is now director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. It’s unlikely that Gazans will voluntarily leave the region, he said.
“Many Gazans are descendants of Palestinians who fled parts of what is now Israel and were never able to return to their former homes. "I'm skeptical that many would want to leave even a devastated Gaza," he said. "I have a hard time imagining a happy ending for a large-scale reconstruction of a depopulated Gaza," Alterman added.
Palestinian militants from “Hamas“ came to power in Gaza in 2007 after Israeli soldiers and settlers withdrew in 2005, but the enclave is still considered Israeli-occupied territory by the United Nations. Israel and Egypt control access to Gaza.
The United Nations and the United States have long supported the vision of two states living side by side within secure and recognized borders.
The Palestinians want a state encompassing the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip - territories captured by Israel in the 1967 war with neighboring Arab countries.
Dozens of people gathered near the White House last night to protest Netanyahu's visit, and the demonstration continued after participants learned of Trump's comments on Gaza. Netanyahu strongly opposes the creation of a Palestinian state.
“Trump and Bibi belong in jail, Palestine is not for sale,” protesters chanted.
While running for president, Trump generally used isolationist rhetoric about the need to end wars abroad and strengthen borders. He proposed that Europe largely take up Ukraine's cause in the war against Russia, while the United States remains in the background.
His initial efforts in the White House largely focused on deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally, as well as reducing the size of the federal government – two of his main campaign promises.
Expansionism was not part of his rhetoric and could pose some political risk for Trump and his Republican allies.
Voters do not support it, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. Only 16% of American adults support the idea that the United States should pressure Denmark to sell Greenland, the poll conducted on January 20-21 after Trump took office showed. About 29% support the idea of regaining control of the Panama Canal. Only 21% agree that the United States has the right to expand its territory in the Western Hemisphere, and only 9% of respondents, including 15% of Republicans, believe that the United States should use military force to secure new territory.