Donald Trump, the 47th president of the United States, officially started his second term after the swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20. Trump, who made promises on many issues during the campaign period and was therefore highly anticipated, has vowed to realize his promises, especially toward the ongoing wars.
In this context, Ukraine and Gaza are among the most curious issues. Although Trump said at his inauguration that he might meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, he did not give any sign of how he would stop the war in Gaza. In fact, during his inauguration ceremony, he referred to the cease-fire and hostage swap deal between Israel and Hamas. He said that he had ensured the return of the hostages held by Hamas to their homes, but later, when asked about the issue, he replied, "This is not our war."
Trump's role in the cease-fire agreement that entered into force on Jan. 19 is undeniable. Still, it is not clear whether he will be able to stand by this decision and whether he will be able to pressure Israel to comply with the second and third phases of the cease-fire. In fact, it was later revealed that he made some concessions to Israel in return for this cease-fire.
Trump's reluctance to say anything clear about stopping the massacres in Gaza and the fact that many in his Cabinet have said that Israel should be helped to finish the job dampened expectations that a lasting cease-fire and peace in Gaza could be reached.
At such a time, Trump's statements on Gaza, on the one hand, reveal that Trump is not sincere about ending the wars. On the other hand, he has revealed that he plans to determine the future of Gaza in the direction Israel wants.
When asked about Gaza by journalists on Jan. 25, Trump said that there was great destruction in Gaza and that something had to be done about it. He said that approximately 1.5 million Palestinians living there would be sent to Egypt and Jordan and that he would meet with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Jordanian King Abdullah II for this purpose. Stating that the location of Gaza is "phenomenal," he claimed Gaza could be a great tourist destination after it is rebuilt.
Unfortunately, Trump's words are not new, and we have seen similar news in both Israeli and U.S. media in the past year. That is to say, news about the expulsion of the Palestinians from Gaza and the reconstruction of Gaza with the Gulf capital, turning it into a tourism and trade center and becoming the "Singapore of the region."
Regrettably, none of these plans took into account the Palestinians, the real owners of Gaza. On the contrary, for them to leave these lands, a blind eye was turned toward the massacres and genocide committed by Israel for 15 months, and it was expected that Gaza would be dehumanized by removing Gazans from these lands by death or by force. However, in the intervening period, Israel has not eliminated Hamas, nor has it been able to ensure that Gazans leave their lands. Therefore, it was up to Trump to explain the plan for the future of Gaza, which was drawn up in partnership between Israel and the U.S.
After Trump's words, Egypt and Jordan have declared that they will never take in any Palestinians. On the other hand, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have declared that they will never leave their lands, but it is said that Trump is still hopeful about this issue. In fact, it is estimated that the reason behind Trump's hopefulness is that Israel wants this plan and that the Gulf countries are also very optimistic about this issue.
Another surprising point about Trump's plan is that his son-in-law and former special envoy to the Middle East, Jared Kushner, had proposed a similar plan about a year ago. In fact, it was leaked to the media that Kushner's New York-based real estate company was preparing to draw new zoning and housing plans for Gaza and to market Gaza, especially to Jewish millionaires living in the U.S. Therefore, it is understood that Trump, who is trying to govern the U.S. like a company, acts in the same way to stop the so-called war in Gaza and treats the issue only as a real estate trade, disregarding international law and the Palestinians' “right to self-determination.”
The most meaningful response to Trump's plan to evacuate Gaza and reconstruct it as a tourist destination was given by the people of Gaza, who were subjected to brutal Israeli attacks both before and after Oct. 7. Some 300,000 Gazans, who were allowed to return to their homes as part of the cease-fire, took to the roads from Rafah to their homes in the north of Gaza, showing that they would not leave their land despite all the adversities they experienced.
Therefore, to realize this unilateral plan, Trump will have to convince the people of Gaza before the leaders of Egypt and Jordan. Another option would be to kill all Palestinians living in Gaza, which even Trump would not dare to do. This is because Israel is currently on trial at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the genocide case brought by South Africa for the crimes it committed in Gaza. There is an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Gaza. While all these legal processes are ongoing, Trump's forcing the Gazans to be deported in front of the eyes of the whole world will be considered a war crime as it will mean ethnic cleansing.
Therefore, it is likely that Trump, who is thought to be planning to receive the Nobel Peace Prize by ending the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, which started during the Biden administration, will not want to be named as a war criminal, let alone receive a peace prize. As a result, he will not insist on the plan to evacuate Gaza, which Israel is very keen on.
In the end, Trump should immediately abandon this plan without falling into Netanyahu's trap and without tarnishing his name like Netanyahu, and realize that Gaza will no longer be anyone's plaything. Because Gaza belongs only to Gazans. They are the only ones who will decide its future, not Trump or anyone else.
