Shalom all.

By now, most people who pay attention to the news will have heard and/or read of the plan of U.S. President Donald Trump to vacate Gaza of its present residents, clear the land and rebuild it to become a 21st-century, upscale, resort area. Such a plan would naturally be part of his background and experience as a real-estate developer and entrepreneur. Get, renovate and resell or rent to reap the financial profits and other benefits that result from completing a major project of urban renewal, including the passive income.

Is this fact or fantasy? Real or imagined? Capable of being carried out or more political puff? Most of the media promotes a “yea” or “nay”, “yes” or “no”, approach, because they think that the President’s plan is either good or bad. Emotion plays a large part of the decision-making process, particularly for the media. But, when emotion steps in, reason tends to be cast aside or fade by the wayside. “I’ve made up my mind. Don’t confuse me with the facts!” We have all met people who have compulsive personalities and who often act like bulls in a china shop, who later say “Oops!” 

Shortly after being sworn into office for the second time, and while speaking to reporters during a question and answer interview that took place on Air Force One on January 25th, President Trump referred to Gaza as a “demolition site” after the end of the present Gaza War, adding that it was necessary to “clean out that whole thing”. As expected, the immediate reaction from surrounding Arab countries was negative. Ayman Safad, the Jordanian Foreign Minister, said: “Jordan is for Jordanians, and Palestine is for Palestinians.” This statement, obviously, ignores the historical reality (worth reading) that Jordan is the proper place for Gazans that call themselves “Palestinian”. Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia rejected Trump’s comments, saying that forced displacement of Gazans would destabilize the region, a position joined by Foreign Ministers and officials from Jordan and that it would undermine prospects for peace. But, they did not want to alienate any relations with the United States, so they expressed their willingness to work with the new U.S. Administration to create a comprehensive plan for peace in the Middle East, not related to Gazan emigration, but based upon a two-state solution.

The openly expressed concern is that if Gazans left Gaza, it would be a repetition of the “Nahba” event of 1947, when Arabs left the area that had been under the British Mandate and were not allowed to return after the establishment of the State of Israel. Notwithstanding the verbal opposition of Egypt and Jordan to Trump’s plan and his intention for those countries to take in Gazans, Trump said on January 30th: “They will do it. They are going to do it. We do a lot for them and they are going to do it.”

The Dry Bones Blog – 27 January, 2025

The Dry Bones Blog – 3 February, 2025

We also need to keep in mind the historical context. Prior to 1967, Gaza was under the control of Egypt, while Jordan was home to millions of so-called “Palestinians”. The term “Palestine” was a designation that was given to this area subsequent to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. After the Bar Kokhba Revolt against the Romans in 135 A.D, the province of Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina—that is, “Palestinian Syria”, later simply called “Palestina” by the Romans. That name continued in one form or another until after the Great War (WWI) and the British Mandate.

But, back to Trump’s vision of Gaza becoming the “Riviera of the Middle East”. In his Oval Office interview, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the President stated, among other things: “We’ll own it…We’re going to take over that piece, develop it and create thousands and thousands of jobs, and it will be something the entire Middle East can be proud of.” His comments continued at the Press Conference that took place after the in-office meeting. See the full Press Conference here. Trump’s statements regarding Gaza appear at 7:10-12; 7:32-35; 19:27-33; 20:17-23; 22:46-24:22; 27:03-28:50; 38:08-39:42 minutes into the conference.

The Trump plan for a U.S. takeover of Gaza and its redevelopment as a place beneficial for “everyone” has been ridiculed by most nations. Some lawmakers within the U.S. have criticized the plan, saying that taking over Gaza “seems like a bit of a stretch”, calling it “problematic”, “outrageous”, “deranged” and “nuts”, or saying it has “a few kinks in that slinky”, or it is “evil”, “immoral”, “insane” or is a form of “ethnic cleansing”, and a host of other negative adjectives. 

The Arab countries are united, at least outwardly, in their opposition to the U.S. plan to take over Gaza and develop it into a lucrative piece of real estate, claiming that a two-state solution is the only viable plan to resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict. But, by repeatedly expressing the desire to resurrect the many times dead idea, Israel’s neighbors and enemies, near and far, overlook the simple fact that a state has been offered a number of times to various “Palestinian” leaders, who have rejected it time and again. Many of the countries who want the Gazans to remain in Gaza are also responsible for failing to take in and absorb the Arabs  who left Israel prior to the 1948 Israeli War of Independence – a refusal that eventually caused those Arabs to become refugees. An independent state was offered by the then relatively new United Nations and rejected. 

After the 6-Day War In 1967, Israel wanted to exchange captured land for peace. But, the Arab League replied with the famous Khartoum Resolution: “No peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with Israel.” While a few countries have departed from that Resolution, such as Egypt and Jordan and those who have signed the Abrahamic Accords, on the whole, the policy of no peace with, no recognition of, and no negotiations between Arab countries and Israel remains the order of the day.

We should remember that in 2,000 and 2008, Israeli heads of state again offered to allow a “Palestinian” state to be established, only to have their offer rejected again. When Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005, Israel’s gesture, at the expense of some 9,000 Israeli citizens, was met with the election of the Islamist terrorist organization, Hamas. Since then, compromise with Israel was not a consideration and the only expressed goal of those who call themselves “Palestinians” was the elimination of the State of Israel. That goal eventually led to the devastating attack, massacres, rapes, dismemberments and burning of some 1,200 people and the taking of over 250 hostages back to Gaza. 

The creation of a “Palestinian” state could never come about without the willingness of the recipients of such a legal entity. And, if Gazans and those who live in Judea and Samaria are asked if they want an independent state, the vast majority questioned responded in the negative. What they do want is the removal of the State of Israel. That’s it. Plain and simple. The much-pursued – but dead, buried and repeatedly propped up for international and political intravenous infusion – two-state solution, is not the remedy for peace, but an encouragement to terrorist organizations everywhere that yells out: “Terrorism Wins”. Every other course of action to achieve the desired goals of terrorists is doomed to failure.

Trump’s plan is not unique. But, for a politician and a world leader to make such a proposal, it is definitely a thought “out of the box” of traditional ideas and concepts that perpetuated a political powder keg that exploded on October 7th. It may sound good in theory, but is not workable in reality. He has neither the power nor the ability to carry it out and bring to the region, or to the world, the peace that he proposes. There is only one Messiah and President Trump is not Him.

Israel, of course, is in favor of such a plan, although specifics on how Trump’s vision would be implemented are, essentially, absent … at least at this point. Other politicians try to bolster Trump’s statements and want to give the proposal a chance. But, by doing so, they ignore the practicalities of implementation and the political risks associated with such an endeavor.

Despite all of the negative reactions to the U.S. plan to take over Gaza and develop it into a lucrative piece of real estate, hardly anyone is talking about the positive aspects of such an initiative. Are there positive aspects? One article proposes that what Trump is offering is, in essence, “an end to the Israel-Palestine conflict”. <https://thedailyscroll.substack.com/p/feb-6-trump-repeats-gaza-plan-as> But, it my opinion, it will not really end the conflict. Even if Gaza comes under new management, there is still the ongoing conflict in the areas of Judea and Samaria (commonly referred to as “the West Bank” [of the Jordan River]). If people have been paying attention, this is presently the hotbed of military activity and our young warriors continue to be killed or wounded. The area is controlled by the “Palestinian” Authority, an entity that did not exist until the disastrous Oslo Accords were signed in 1993. The P.A. is controlled by the Fatah branch of “Palestinians”, under the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas, who denies the Holocaust and desires the elimination of the State of Israel as much as Hamas and “Palestinian” Islamic Jihad. So, allowing the U.S. to take over Gaza really would not end the Arab-Israeli conflict, because the conflict is not only about land, but about Israel’s existence in it. 

There are other problems related to the Trump proposal, the two major ones being (1) that a U.S. takeover of Gaza and forcible expulsion of Gazans beyond the present territorial limits of Gaza would be illegal under international law, preventing any nation, including Israel, from assisting in such expulsion and takeover, and (2) Israel has no moral right to “give” Gaza to the U.S. As for the latter, it needs to be remembered that when Israel conquered Canaan under the leadership of Joshua, the city of Gaza was allotted to the Tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:21, 47), which took it (Judges 1:18). It was entrusted to Israel as God had commanded (Numbers 34; Joshua 13:1-17) and, as such, we have no authority to transfer to anyone else what He has entrusted to us.

Notwithstanding the difficulties, the present President of the United States is known for pursuing matters with an attitude of “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead”. Pursuing his Gaza revitalization plan may appear rewarding and promising from certain business perspectives, but it could be disastrous for the United States, as well as for any other country taking part in that plan. Even if other countries in the region would be in favor of removing all of the Gazans, they would not publicly declare their approval, at least not at this point in time. 

As this post comes to an end, my heart breaks for the hostages who were released today by Hamas, for those who are still alive and being held by Hamas and for the families awaiting to receive their loved ones back, not knowing if some are alive or dead. One of the hostages released today did not know that his family was killed on October 7th. I can only imagine that the thought of his being re-united with his family was the motivation that helped to keep him alive for almost 500 days. The hostages released today show signs of severe malnutrition. They looked like Holocaust survivors at the time of liberation. Other hostages released over the last couple of weeks shared their stories of hell on earth and how they were barely given sufficient food and that they had to make every effort to stay alive. The hostages released today are but walking shadows that remind us of history’s promise: “Never Again!” Before being turned over to the International Red Cross (an organization that never reported on the health status of the hostages and whose primary function was to serve as a taxi between Hamas and Israeli authorities), the three hostages were paraded by Hamas on a platform under a sign that read “total victory”, similar to what the prior hostages had to do. The psychological warfare carried out by Hamas has far seriously crossed the line of what would be considered as crimes against humanity. And still, we negotiated with the devil’s representatives for the release of hostages who can barely walk, in exchange for the release of prisoners with blood on their hands serving multiple sentences of life imprisonment. Stage 2 of the “deal”, if it is carried out, is expected to be considerably more difficult, at least from Israel’s point of view.

A final word: Yarden Bibas was released last week. He was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th together with his wife, Shiri, and their two young children, Ariel and Kfir. Hamas claimed that Yarden’s wife and children were killed while in captivity. Israel has not be able to confirm that. Yarden’s words following his release: “Sadly, my family hasn’t returned to me yet. They are still there. My light is still there, and as long as they’re there, everything here is dark.” If Shiri, Ariel and Kfir were killed after they were kidnapped by Hamas, the national trauma that Israel is experiencing will turn to national mourning. This is not the time or place to express the potential consequences of such a revelation. Need more be said?

These are difficult days and Israel needs moral and spiritual support. For those who pray, please remember the hostages who were released; the hostages that are still alive and need to be returned; the thousands of wounded in hospitals, rehabilitation centers and homes whose lives have been forever altered by the injuries they sustained; for the families who lost loved ones and who are waiting for their loved ones to return and for the families of the wounded; for wisdom, courage and precision of the IDF and the ongoing fighting in different arenas, that they would go out in peace and return in peace; for the leadership of Israel, for wisdom and the courage to act in the best interests of the entire nation. 

“When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7) If this is true on an individual level, how much more true would it be on a national level?

As we begin a new week, keep looking up and don’t let the devil get you down. Remember: bless, be blessed and be a blessing. 

Marvin