'When you make a criminal sociopath the leader of the free world, you can expect anything'

Residents of Tel Aviv react to US president Donald Trump's plan to turn Gaza into the 'Riveria of the Middle East'

In an unprecedented press conference, Donald Trump said Gaza 'should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have stood there and fought for it and lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there.' Picture: AP Photo/Alex Brandon

A “hellhole” that has the potential to become the “Riveria of the Middle East”, so says Donald Trump on the future of Gaza. That plan includes the transfer, forcibly, if necessary, by the US military of the two million Palestinians who currently live there.

In an unprecedented press conference, the US president said Gaza "should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have stood there and fought for it and lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there".

The president claims he has spoken to regional leaders, and they supported the idea. “Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land,” he said.

With that frankly shocking press conference, the ethnic cleansing of two million Palestinians from Gaza — a war crime if carried out — has apparently become US policy.

There was swift reaction and condemnation from Arab leaders in the region, with immediate push back from Saudi Arabia. The foreign ministry put out a statement that Saudi Arabia “will continue its relentless efforts to establish a Palestinian state, with east Jerusalem as its capital”. 

Hamas put out a surprisingly perfunctory statement, saying the plan was a “recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region”.

The reaction in Israel just a few hours after the unprecedented press conference was more mixed and muted. Notably, there was a deafening silence from both the leader of the Israeli opposition Yair Lapid, and Israeli president Issac Herzog.

The Irish Examiner contacted Israeli journalists for comment, before taking to the streets of downtown Tel Aviv to ask commuters on their way to work what they thought of President Trump's plan.

Gaza: Trump 'wants to play with the lives of millions as if they were pieces on a game board'. Picture: AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

Veteran leftwing Israeli journalist Anat Saragusti, the first Israeli journalist to interview Yasser Arafat back in 1982, was flabbergasted.

“So many thoughts, I don’t know how to address that. It is so far out. And so imaginary. I think that everybody, all analysts are confused. Just try to imagine the practicalities.

"We desperately need a plan, and our government doesn’t work on a feasible plan. We are left with a big nothing” she said.

Shuki Tausig, the editor-in-chief of the Seventh-Eye, a leftwing Israeli investigate magazine, was more prosaic.

"When you make a criminal sociopath the leader of the free world, well you can expect anything," he said.

Tel Aviv commuters were not shy in voicing their opinion. Interestingly and perhaps somewhat disturbingly for left-leaning liberal Tel Aviv, few people expressed reservations about the humanitarian impact of such a plan on the Palestinian population of Gaza. Most simply dismissed Trump's words as ridiculous or unworkable.

Hilah, aged 52, thought the idea “quite crazy”, adding “its wishful thoughts”. Wishful for whom, I asked? 

“I believe that’s a good offer, from an economical aspect, and will convince many of these poor people."

Eitan, aged 38, who works in real estate, was sceptical. “Bottom line, I don’t think it will happen. We need to view Trump actions in retrospect to see what’s real and fake news”.

Yaniv, aged 24, simply guffawed rolled his eyes dismissively saying: "Great, but is not going to happen.”

Ariel, aged 34, was also doubtful of the seriousness of the whole idea.

I don’t think it will ever happen… in the immediate future anyway. No one will do anything drastically to change things around… Maybe Trump is crazy enough, but it’s all talk for now.

Uri, aged 48, also called the plan “crazy”, adding Trump “wants to play with the lives of millions as if they were pieces on a game board".

"If he doesn’t get his way, he will probably turn the board over and throw us all into the sea”.

Gila Ginsberg, 55, had three family members murdered in the October 7 terrorist attack. A further eight family members were abducted by Hamas and released after 50 days of captivity. The husband of her sister-in-law, Tal Shoham, 39, who was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Be’eri, remains in captivity in Gaza after 488 days and is not expected to be released until the later stages of the ceasefire.

Ms Ginsberg was horrified at Trump's words and fears the whole ceasefire with Hamas will unravel. 

US president Donald Trump with Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday. Picture: AP /Evan Vucci

On Trump's plan, she said: “It’s a theatre of the absurd and a smokescreen for the crimes of this damned government. I'm still trying everything [to get Tal released], but the second phase of the deal is getting farther and farther away.”

What has largely gone unreported in the swirl of media and international reaction to Trump’s plan for Gaza was his response when asked whether he would back any Israeli plan for annexing the West Bank. Trump replied he would likely be “making an announcement” at some point in the next four weeks.

There is a real fear in Israel, on the left at least, that any American greenlight for Israeli annexation of the Occupied West Bank will possibly trigger a third intifada, derail the Hamas-Israel truce, and potentially convulse the region into wider war once again.

The Israel far-right is, however, likely rejoicing. Itamar Ben Gvir,  former minister of national security and leader of the Jewish supremacist party Jewish Power, who resigned from government in response to Israel-Hamas truce, has in the past openly called for ethnic “voluntary” cleansing in Gaza, 

He was reported late last year as saying the war presented an “opportunity to concentrate on encouraging the migration of the residents of Gaza”, calling such a policy “a correct, just, moral and humane solution".

Apparently, as of now, President Trump agrees with him.