Unachievable.. 5 Obstacles Facing Trump’s Gaza Project

The projects proposed by US President Donald Trump regarding his country’s control over the Gaza Strip and the transfer of its residents represent a fantasy that is currently unachievable, as much as it provokes a torrent of opposition.

These statements come after others made by the US President since his inauguration regarding the annexation of the Panama Canal and Greenland, and even making Canada the 51st US state, and transferring “criminals accused of violent acts” in US prisons to El Salvador to serve their sentences.

His proposal on Gaza, as with other proposals, faces many obstacles, most notably:

The Gazans cling to their land:

This project does not take into account the extent of the Palestinians’ attachment to their land, as was demonstrated by the return of half a million displaced persons to the northern Gaza Strip immediately after the ceasefire was announced, and this happened despite the fact that the area had been reduced to rubble as a result of the devastating Israeli war on the Strip.

"It's the most beautiful day of my life," Lamis Al-Awadi, 22, told AFP upon arriving home on January 28. "We will rebuild our homes even if it is with mud and sand."

"Our homeland is our homeland," said Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour, adding to those who want to send Palestinians "to a happy and beautiful place, let them return to their original homes inside Israel, there are beautiful places there, and they will be happy to return to them."

Arab opposition:

Contrary to what Trump believes, his proposal is met with Arab opposition. Since Saturday, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have rejected any “infringement on the inalienable rights” of the Palestinians.

Cairo called on Wednesday for the rapid reconstruction of Gaza without displacing its residents, and the Jordanian king similarly stressed his rejection of displacement.

“Expect reactions to move from confusion to condemnation, with demonstrations across the Middle East and beyond in the coming days,” said Emily Harding of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

American History:

The project launched by the US President on Tuesday includes sending US soldiers to Gaza, in the first breach of his election promises.

Hamas's strong opposition is certainly a given, given that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's goal of eliminating it has not been achieved despite Israel's fierce 15-month war.

Hamas and its ally, Islamic Jihad, will be able to wage a violent guerrilla war.

The historical quagmires in which the United States sank successively in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq are still firmly rooted in American memory.

A European diplomat in Jerusalem noted that Trump's proposal "contradicts his idea of America First," adding, "But he thinks things will work out, that this is not a war, this is not Afghanistan, this is not Iraq. He really thinks he can convince them... and that is what is very worrying."

International law:

Trump has violated many of the taboos of international law inherited from the post-war period, which Washington has observed in recent decades, at least in words.

Tamer Morris, an expert in international law at the University of Sydney in Australia, believes that the United States cannot control Gaza without the approval of Israel, which “cannot cede Gaza to the United States.”

He added on The Conversation website that even the Palestinian Authority "cannot give this approval in the name of a people who have the right to self-determination."

He pointed out that the rhetoric itself is dangerous, explaining, "The way Trump is bringing up issues like land control and population transfers suggests that these rules can be easily broken."

The United Nations warned on Wednesday that international law strictly prohibits any forced transfer or deportation of populations from occupied territories.

Beware in Israel:

The Israeli political class has been cautious, with the exception of supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The far right is in a state of euphoria,” says David Khalfa, author of “Israel-Palestine, Year Zero.”

"The most moderate in parliament congratulates Trump but expresses doubts about the possibility of implementing his project," he added.

"Basically, Israelis cannot just wait for the Americans to come up with plans to get out of the crisis," said opposition leader Yair Lapid.

The researcher explained this statement by saying that Lapid "believes that Trump's plan is unrealistic and may lead to counterproductive results."

He explained that "Trump is a businessman at heart" who is trying "to engage all actors in the region to get out of the Israeli-Palestinian confrontation and repeat the same tragedy."

Source: French