Trump’s Gaza Scheme Is Fuel for Anti-Zionists

There is something fetching about President Trump’s vision for the Gaza Strip. Who would not want to see it rebuilt as a prosperous, thriving location benefiting from its location on the Mediterranean Sea – its people fully employed, hosting tourists from Europe and around the world, with beautiful hotels and restaurants featuring locally grown produce? It is a beautiful dream. But, and this is a terrible but, the way in which he imagines this vision unfolding reflects a dangerous combination of arrogance and ignorance.

The disturbing and problematic political, economic, military, and moral concerns that this scheme evokes are clear: It will increase instability in an already unstable region. It puts the recent ceasefire and hostage deal at risk. It presents serious security challenges to Israel. It undermines Palestinian self-identification and self-determination. It requires a huge American investment both financially and in people. Finally, the suggestion to remove the Palestinians, who are currently in Gaza, whether permanently or temporarily, is morally reprehensible and, in light of President Trump’s policies concerning refugees from war-torn, chaotic places, utterly hypocritical.

Beyond all that, the lack of a swift rejection of these ideas by either the Israeli government or many of the most prominent American Jewish organizations undermines our efforts to support Israel in this time of crisis. Trump’s statements and what might be taken as a tacit support for them or at best a tepid response to them by the organized Jewish community can easily be seen as supporting evidence for the claims against Israel made by those groups protesting Israel on college campuses and other locations. It makes the arguments that Israel with the help of a right-wing American government is pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing and territorial aggression seem reasonable and accurate, successfully undermining support for Israel. Trump’s schema and the support it receives from the American political leadership will make it exceedingly difficult to defend Israel as an independent, democratic state trying to protect itself from threatening ideologies and aggression, especially without a strong, mainstream Jewish rejection of that plan.

In the Middle East, both in general and with Israel-Palestine in particular, there are no quick or magical solutions. Tensions in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen, as well as in Israel and Palestine have deep roots that will require serious efforts to build the trust needed to create the vision of a prosperous Gaza in a peaceful and prosperous Middle East. The attack by Hamas on Israel and the predictable war it started has succeeded in breaking down the ability to nurture the relationships needed to work for peace both in Israel and among the Palestinians. Trump’s misguided plan reinforces the fears of the Palestinians and provides no assurances for Israel. It should be quickly and loudly rejected, particularly by those who support Israel and pray for peace.