Trump’s endless procession of innovations means many of them are quickly forgotten. Peace in the Mideast deserves our attention. Here’s my new column from RealClearPolitics.
By FRANK MIELE
Monaco or Syria? Or worse yet, Lebanon? If you were a resident of Gaza, which would you select as the template for rebuilding your tiny strip of Mediterranean beachfront property?
President Trump has placed his bet on Palestinians choosing their own self-interest when opting for a rebuilt Gaza that will provide jobs, comfort, and peace for generations to come. Something akin to the French Riviera or the principality of Monaco.
Of course, the global elites who invited war between Hamas and Israel laugh at Trump’s vision for a peace built on self-interest. But what is the alternative? Peace built on death and destruction?
According to an NPR report published one year after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of Israel, the combined air and ground strikes against Gaza had left 60% of the buildings in the enclave damaged or destroyed. Fully 68% of roads in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed by the same point.
What about the economy?
Prior to the war, nearly a quarter of the land in Gaza was covered with orchards, crops or greenhouses, according to He Yin, head of the Remote Sensing and Land Science Lab at Kent State University. … After a year of war, 70% of greenhouses and nearly 70% of tree crops have been damaged or destroyed, according to Yin’s analysis of high-resolution satellite imagery of the region.
There is no functional economy left in Gaza, and therefore no hope. A more recent NPR report says that the United Nations has found that 90% of homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. Trump offered a potential solution, based in part on the Marshall Plan that rescued Western Europe from the devastation of World War II. If Trump’s plan is laughable, maybe it is because no one today has the vision to conceive of solutions to difficult problems.
It was President Harry Truman who signed the Foreign Assistance Act of 1948 into law, but the plan is best remembered as the brainchild of Secretary of State George Marshall. The law creating the Marshall Plan noted that “the existing situation in Europe endangers the establishment of a lasting peace, the general welfare and national interest of the United States, and the attainment of the objectives of the United Nations.”
Let’s forget about the United Nations when we think about how to proceed in Gaza. The UN has been an impediment to peace in the Middle East, and is part of the “existing situation … that endangers the establishment of a lasting peace.” That’s why Trump has insisted that the framework for peace in Gaza should rest on the shoulders of the United States entirely, as in most respects the recovery in Europe after World War II did, too.
What is different is that, unlike Western Europe, the Middle East (with the notable exception of Israel) has never known the “principles of individual liberty, free institutions, and genuine independence” that would allow “the establishment of sound economic conditions, stable international economic relationships, and the achievement … of a healthy economy independent of extraordinary outside assistance.”
Trump is therefore operating in large part on hope and a prayer. Although details are vague, the plan as envisioned by Trump’s Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff would take place over 15 to 25 years and would seek to convert Gaza from a “giant slum” into a thriving Mediterranean community.
“It’s not an eviction plan, it’s about creating an environment that — whoever should live there — is better than it’s ever been.” [Witkoff] rejected the idea of a forced Palestinian diaspora, warning that mass displacement would only lead to further radicalization. Trump, he added, is not focused on a two-state solution but rather on “how you get to a better life” for Palestinians through education, career opportunities, and economic growth. While acknowledging that “maybe we should be talking about the ability to come back later on,” he maintained that “right here, right now, Gaza is a long-term redevelopment plan.”
The most important part of that plan is that there can be no Hamas in Gaza, any more than there could have been Nazis playing a role in post-war Germany. Trump made that perfectly clear in his Truth Social post last Wednesday:
Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you. … This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance. Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD!
The beautiful future for Gaza doesn’t have to include American ownership or sponsorship, but without Trump’s initiative, there is almost no possibility that a lasting peace would be possible. Now, however, thanks to his challenge, the Arab states have stepped forward with their own plan to rebuild Gaza, at the cost of $53 billion.
Their goal, in addition to keeping the United States out of the region, is to maintain Gaza as a homeland for the Palestinians. Whether that can work or not is questionable, especially if the Arabs insist on allowing the Palestinian Authority to play a leadership role. As presented last week, the plan calls for the reconstruction of Gaza to be the centerpiece of a “two-state solution,” the elusive goal of side-by-side homelands for Jews and Palestinians.
To be clear, Gaza under the auspices of Hamas was an independent Palestinian state, but it wasn’t part of a two-state solution because its long-range goal was the destruction of Israel. To believe that the Palestinians, short of a major political upheaval, would accept Israel as their peaceful neighbor, staggers the imagination. And the expectation that the Palestinians would suffer through years of rebuilding in a “giant slum” without the concomitant building up of hatred and resentment is probably wishful thinking.
The Arab states are intent on keeping the Palestinians in the Gaza enclave for one simple reason – to avoid taking them into their own countries. Yet Trump is right when he asks of the Palestinians, “Why wouldn’t they want to move?” It is the foreign relations equivalent of his famous query of black voters, “What the hell do you have to lose” if you turn away from the Democratic Party policies that have delivered poverty, violence, and social chaos for decades?
Again, the appeal is to self-interest. Why would Palestinians choose to remain in the “demolition site” of Gaza when they could travel to Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other Arab states where they would have the opportunity to find work, raise their families, and live in peace? The Arab plan doesn’t give them that choice, but Trump’s does.
One thing is certain. President Trump would be delighted if the Arab plan took hold and somehow delivered true peace and prosperity. If it happens without the need for U.S. investment, so much the better. And if this plan works, it will be a template for the rebuilding of Ukraine as well. In that country, Trump has proposed that the United States will be repaid with mineral rights for the many billions of dollars needed to secure a safe future for the war-torn country. But what Trump really wants is for Europe to step up and provide the framework for security at its own expense.
“America First” is ultimately a negotiating strategy that tells the rest of the world the United States is ready and willing to take the lead in getting things done. But hey, really, wouldn’t everyone be better off with homegrown solutions to regional problems?
And if either Gaza or Ukraine return to peace without the need for American boots on the ground, could we start to get serious about a Nobel Peace Prize for Donald Trump?
About Heartland Diary USA
Heartland Diary is solely operated by Frank Miele, the retired editor of the Daily Inter Lake in Kalispell, Montana. If you enjoy reading these daily essays, I hope you will SUBSCRIBE to www.HeartlandDiaryUSA.com by leaving your email address on the home page. Also please consider purchasing one of my books. They are available through the following Amazon links. My new book is “What Matters Most: God, Country, Family and Friends” and is a collection of personal essays that transcend politics. My earlier books include “How We Got Here: The Left’s Assault on the Constitution,” “The Media Matrix: What if everything you know is fake?” and the “Why We Needed Trump” trilogy. Part 1 is subtitled “Bush’s Global Failure: Half Right.” Part 2 is “Obama’s Fundamental Transformation: Far Left.” Part 3 is “Trump’s American Vision: Just Right.” As an Amazon Associate, I may earn referral fees for qualifying purchases through links on my website.
