This article was originally published in The Jerusalem Post on February, 9, 2025.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent statements about Gaza are creating shock waves across the Middle East and are triggering the opposition of the regional powers and the international community.
Yet, it seems that Trump, a businessman at heart, who is highly skilled at making deals, is only trying to gain leverage and soften his targets – Arab and Israeli leaders – in a broader regional deal that may surface sooner or later.
During his historic meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, the president made a jaw-dropping statement: “The US will take over Gaza.” Trump said this would allow America to take necessary steps to transform it into an inhabitable city that can also be a hub for great foreign investments.
For over a week before his statement, Trump had been pushing to send the people of Gaza to neighboring Arab countries as refugees.
The president and his team spoke with the Egyptian president and the Jordanian king about the idea, and they refused. They claimed that accepting Palestinian refugees would destabilize their countries and end the so-called “Palestinian Cause.”
Although the full consequences of Trump’s statement are yet to unfold, its implications are already clear in several important ways.
The reaction of Netanyahu, who was present at the press conference where Trump made such a shocking statement, was hard to miss: shock, confusion, and an evident struggle to hide it.
Clearly, the prime minister was not briefed about Trump’s intention to make such a statement before the press conference.
However, I know from trusted sources in Washington that the president has already been considering the economic potential of Gaza as an attractive destination to foreign investments in tourism and real estate sectors.
The statement, coming from a world leader with a reputation for unpredictability, sent ripples through Israeli political circles, but it raises broader questions about the geopolitical ramifications.
More intriguing, however, is how Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi might respond.
Taking a look at the historical context
Given the historical context of Egypt’s past occupation of Gaza, it would not be surprising if he views this as an opportunity to assert Egypt’s dominance or even lay claim to Gaza.
During the pan-Arabist era, led by Egyptian communist president Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt occupied Gaza and applied military rule from 1949-1967, justified by the Arab world’s quest to push away the newborn Israeli state at that time.
In the aftermath of the 1967 war waged by three Arab countries (Egypt, Jordan, and Syria) against Israel, Gaza and Sinai were taken by force from Egypt.
When Cairo and Jerusalem signed a peace treaty almost 12 years later in 1979, Anwar al-Sadat, Egypt’s president at the time, took back Sinai and declined to take Gaza because he knew it was a minefield that might drag Egypt into endless troubles.
However, since then, the Egyptian state and people have continued to look at Gaza as a virtual extension of Egyptian land, hence the pressing sense of solidarity by the Egyptians towards Gazans.
The timing of Trump’s statement might play directly into Sisi’s hands.
This surprising declaration could fuel narratives pushed by Egyptian state-supervised media, which often characterizes US-Israeli relations as part of a larger conspiracy to undermine the Palestinian cause and assert control over the Middle East.
If this line of rhetoric gains traction, it could solidify his role as the protector of Arab interests, potentially enhancing his political standing in the region.
For Egypt, this could be a crucial moment to reclaim some of its lost geopolitical influence.
In a region shaped by historical grievances and territorial disputes, such a development could be seen as almost inevitable.
But what about the broader implications of Trump’s remark itself? As someone with a well-established reputation for making bold and strategic moves, it’s unlikely that this comment was made in a vacuum.
The president is known for his capacity to craft deals that serve his long-term objectives, and it is plausible that this was a calculated move aimed at achieving leverage in negotiations with Arab leaders on other pressing issues.
It seems logical to assume that Trump’s words were not just a random outburst, but part of a larger, undeclared strategy designed to secure political gains or reshape Middle Eastern geopolitics.
The perspective of Gaza residents
From the perspective of Gaza’s residents, the statement could be seen in an entirely different light. While much of the world may react with skepticism to Trump’s plan to turn Gaza into a “Riviera,” the people of Gaza could view this as an opportunity for change.
For years, they have suffered under Hamas’s rule, and the promise of a better future – free from the constraints of extremism – might appear appealing.
Improved living conditions, better infrastructure, and the possibility of American citizenship with associated rights (akin to Puerto Rico) could be perceived as a step toward stability and prosperity.
Viewed from the perspective of Gaza’s citizens, this proposal might represent a fresh start – a chance to live with greater freedom and security.
While the geopolitical ramifications of Trump’s statement are undeniably complex, one thing is certain: his words will spark significant debate across the region.
Trump’s talent for making unexpected, bold moves is well known, and this latest declaration could be the beginning of a larger strategy that we have yet to fully understand.
Whether it is part of a broader diplomatic initiative, or a tactical maneuver aimed at shifting regional power dynamics, the future of Gaza and its inhabitants will likely be deeply influenced by the fallout from this remarkable statement.
