My initial response to President Donald Trump’s proposals for Gaza was to dismiss them as bizarre, detached from reality, dangerously provocative, illegal, and callously insensitive to Palestinian humanity.
His proposals are, in fact, all of the above. But because we know that this president is not a stupid man, it would be wise to assume that there may be a “method to his madness.” Not unlike Trump’s “shock and awe” Executive Order blitz that had his opponents and the media scrambling to understand his intentions, I believe that the same logic may be at work with his Gaza remarks. The logic has two essential components. The first is to disorient and demoralize his opponents. The second is to distract them—like a carnival hustler’s shell game—so we take our eyes off the real issues in front of us and focus instead on the illusion being created.
With this in mind, I do not believe for a minute that Trump intends to send US troops to take over Gaza to forcibly expel 1.5 million Palestinians. Nor will he be able to coerce Jordan and Egypt to receive and permanently resettle these expelled Palestinians, nor entice Saudi Arabia to pay to build Palestinians a “big new beautiful place.”
All these ideas are so far-fetched and dangerous that it is inconceivable that this president, who says he wants to keep America out of war and bring peace to the Middle East, will try to do any or all of them.
I may be attacked by some for trying to give President Trump the benefit of the doubt. To be clear, that is precisely what I am not doing. He may want to turn the page with the distractions of a bizarre plan for Gaza. But instead of taking the bait, we should continue to focus on what’s real. What I am saying is that instead of spending endless hours attempting to parse out his words or critique his plan or prepare for its implementation (which is exactly what he wants us to do), we should avoid the distraction and focus on the urgency of matters in front of us. The fragile ceasefire in Gaza must be maintained and the parties must move into its second and third phases. That means continuing to press for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and plans to begin reconstruction. It means directing our attention and action to stopping Israel’s escalation of oppressive violence on the West Bank. And it means maintaining focus on the need to hold Israel and the US culpable for the war crimes committed during the past 15 months.
Neither President Trump nor Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu want us to act on any of these pressing matters. They want to further demoralise Palestinians while causing turmoil in Arab countries. They want the clock to run down on Phase One of the ceasefire plan. This would allow Netanyahu to resume his war to achieve what he calls “total victory” in Gaza. It would also ensure that he maintains his governing coalition and remains in office.
In other words, instead of addressing real problems crying for our attention, President Trump wants us to fall for his game by debating an illusory distraction while the Israelis pursue their deadly game right under our noses.
Itamar Ben-Gvir: “We have become the joke of the Middle East, and I was the only person in the cabinet to oppose the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
US President Donald Trump has made an astonishing and deeply troubling proposal: the United States should take control of Palestine’s Gaza and transform it into a ‘Riviera of the Middle East’. He even claimed, “Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the US owning that piece of land.” The question is: who exactly is this “everybody”?
The answer seems clear when you consider that Trump made this announcement standing beside none other than Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the architect of the ongoing devastation in Gaza.
To further amplify the absurdity, Marco Rubio, Trump’s Secretary of State, took to social media to gleefully tweet: “Make Gaza Beautiful Again.” This is a vision that sees Gaza not as a place of human struggle, resilience, and history, but as an empty plot of land—waiting to be “beautified” by foreign intervention, with little regard for the millions of lives it holds.
UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese condemns Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza and place the area under US control, calling it "unlawful, immoral, and irresponsible"
Gaza has been on the news headlines again after October 7, 2023. Israel, Egypt, and the Mediterranean Sea surround it. Movement into and out of it is heavily controlled, as Israel has enforced a nearly complete land, sea, and air blockade of the area since 2007.
This small pocket of land has attracted the world’s attention every one or two years for the last one and a half decades but is also sometimes forgotten. If you are someone who is reading about Gaza for the first time in your life with this article, you may think the author is talking of a deserted island, uninhabitable place, or “a land without a people.”
In fact, Gaza is 365 square kilometres of land, and it inhabits 2,351,000 people, which makes it one of the densest areas in the world, with 6441 people per square km. One should also avoid the statisticalisation trap where people who are living in Gaza are human beings with stories and memories. They are faces rather than mere numbers. However, it becomes clear that political language in the United States with the new Donald Trump administration will be based on the dehumanisation of Gaza.
The implications of his words at the press conference on February 5, are staggering. Trump’s proposal is a glaring reminder that in the eyes of many world leaders, the people of Gaza—Palestinians—are reduced to little more than background noise in a geopolitical game.
This isn’t just about land or politics; it’s about the systematic erasure of a people, their history, and their struggle for self-determination. To Trump, Gaza isn’t a place of suffering and resistance—it’s an opportunity for rebranding. It’s a strip of land to be “fixed,” a place to be renovated into a “tourist destination,” regardless of who lives there or the decades of hardship they’ve endured under a brutal occupation and blockade.
Colonialism rebranded
What Trump’s rhetoric reveals is a deeply troubling mindset—a belief that Palestinians in Gaza have no voice, no agency, and no right to self-determination or votes.
Their homes, their land, their very existence, are reduced to a resource for someone else to exploit, more valuable than the people living on it. This may come as a surprise to some observers, but this is a modern-day manifestation of colonialism, echoing the Manifest Destiny doctrine in the United States—a belief that one nation has a divine right to control another’s land, regardless of the people who have lived there for generations. It’s the kind of thinking that has long fuelled the oppression of indigenous peoples, and it is alive and well in Trump’s vision for Gaza.
The legal context around this proposal only deepens its gravity. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide.
And yet, Trump’s words seem to offer a dangerous legitimisation of the very actions that have brought Gaza to the brink of collapse. Netanyahu’s rhetoric only adds fuel to the fire. In a speech soon after October 7 where he infamously referred to Palestinians as “animals” and invoked the biblical story of the Amalekites, justifying violence with religious fervour. “You must remember what Amalek has done to you,” he said.
This was not an ordinary reference, but put in the context of war, it could be interpreted as “genocidal intent.” Netanyahu was referring to the following passage; “‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”
This is not just inflammatory speech—it’s the rhetoric of destruction, one that seeks to dehumanise and erase an entire population.
Trump’s chilling comments about the people of Gaza add to this. When asked whether Palestinians would ever be able to return to their homes if Gaza were to fall under US control, Trump responded bluntly: “I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza. I think that Gaza has been very unlucky for them. They’ve lived like hell…the only reason they want to go back is because they have no alternative.”
Notice how he frames it: Gaza isn’t a homeland—it’s a prison. Palestinians, in his view, are not people with rights, dreams, or a history—they are mere sufferers, trapped in a place they should leave behind. The use of “they” is telling: Trump doesn’t even use the word “Palestinian” when he talks about Gaza. It’s as though the very identity of the people who live there has been erased.
Resilience
But despite the relentless violence and oppression, the spirit of the people of Gaza remains unbroken. After the ceasefire between Palestinian resistance forces and Israel, which came after weeks of unimaginable destruction, Gaza’s resilience was on full display. Thousands of Palestinians returned to their homes in the northern part of Gaza, even though Israel has tried to make it uninhabitable.
World leaders unite in their opposition of US President Donald Trump's controversial plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza, say a two-state solution is crucial 🔗 https://t.co/8amNPSj1zipic.twitter.com/uLRa3DguCx
This wasn’t just a physical return—it was a powerful statement of defiance, a refusal to be erased. During the release of Israeli hostages, Palestinians expressed solidarity with the resistance in a show of strength: smiling, cheering, even taking photos with fighters from the Qassam Brigades. This is a people who refuse to submit to occupation. Their will is unshaken.
So, while Trump’s words might make headlines, they also expose the lengths to which certain powers will go to suppress Palestinian resistance, to break their spirit, and to erase their struggle for justice. If this vision is allowed to continue, the Middle East could be facing a future marked by further instability, deepened injustice, and a growing humanitarian crisis.
But as Gaza has shown time and time again, the Palestinian struggle will not be easily silenced. No matter the attempts to erase them from the map, the people of Gaza will remain, with their history, their identity, and their fight for freedom.
With the fall of the Assad regime, Syria has turned a new page, with the opposition forces now holding the reins of the country .
An 11-day-long opposition blitzkrieg forced Bashar al Assad to flee to Moscow, dealing a death blow to the regime after 13 years of the brutal war.
Though various revolutionary groups fought for this decisive moment, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which means Levant Liberation Committee, emerged as a dominant force under the leadership of Ahmed al Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al Jolani.
The US and its Western allies has designated the HTS as a terrorist organisation, putting a bounty of $10 million on his head, which was lifted recently.
But the 42-year-old Syrian leader has emerged as an indispensable force, wielding strong influence over the war-ravaged country. In late December, Sharaa met Turkish and Ukrainian foreign ministers as well as top diplomats from the US and the UK, signalling that he is the de facto leader of the new Syria.
Sharaa had a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, during which the top Turkish diplomat “thanked” the Syrian leader for his “friendly” welcome to the country.
“I saw that he (Sharaa) and his friends had very clear ideas about the establishment and transition process of the new system,” said Fidan, referring to the transition process from the Assad regime rule to the new government.
Fidan and Sharaa also sat down for a tea stop in Damascus’s famous Mount Qasioun, which overlooks the capital. Mount Qasioun is believed to be the site of legendary events, such as the Biblical and Quranic figure Abel’s murder by Cain.
From a fighter in battle fatigues to a statesman in a Western suit and a trimmed beard, Sharaa’s transformation reflects the changes in the country since the fall of the Assad regime.
Since the beginning of the 11-day lightning offensive against the Assad regime, Sharaa has given several interviews and statements from CNN to Saudi state-owned Al Arabiya TV, reflecting a fair degree of moderation in his worldview.
He has pledged to ease sectarian tensions and rebuild the country along the margins of justice and equality. The HTS leader also sent a message to the Western camp saying that “your interests are understood in the new Syria.”
He suggested working with Russia, an ally of the Assad regime, and sent a conciliatory message to Iran, in which he offered to develop a positive relationship even though Tehran fiercely backed Bashar al Assad in the past.
“This new triumph, my brothers, marks a new chapter in the history of the region, a history fraught with dangers (that left) Syria as a playground for Iranian ambitions, spreading sectarianism, stirring corruption,” he said, during one of his first speeches after the overthrow of the Assad regime in Damascus’s Umayyad Mosque, one of the most decorated and oldest Muslim religious structures.
In his latest interview,Sharaa suggested that elections and drafting a new constitution replacing the current Baathist charter will take several years due to the fact that the civil war has led to a large displacement and a lot of disruption in many public services.
A moderate leader?
The Biden administration has also signalled that depending on Sharaa’s path, Washington might consider removing the HTS from the US terror list.
“We have taken note of statements by the leaders of these rebel groups in recent days, and they’re saying the right things now, but as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their word, but their actions,” Biden said on Dec. 8.
In a recent interview, Sharaa urged the Western leadership to lift sanctions because they were “issued based on the crimes” of the Assad regime, which is gone after the opposition victory. As a result, “these sanctions should be removed automatically”, he said.
Not only the US but also regional powerhouses like Türkiye, which has backed the opposition’s democratic aspirations against the Assad regime, also closely watching Sharaa and the new Syrian administration’s ongoing policies.
With an overwhelming majority of Syrians having lost so many loved ones in the brutal war, they are now hoping for a long-lasting peace and a life with dignity and honour.
“I have an advice for him (Sharaa/Jolani), I hope he is smart enough to know it by himself: don’t even try to be the new Assad. The Syrians who did a revolution against Assad, can do it again easily against you as well,” says Omar Alhariri, a Daraa-based Syrian journalist.
“We are looking for the future, being a good part of it. We are waiting for justice,” Alhariri tells TRT World, adding that Sharaa should lead a process in which “Syrians themselves should choose their leaders” in a democratic process.
Sharaa has recently shown his openness to a democratic order, saying the HTS and its armed allies intend to form a “council chosen by the people” and a state operating through institutions.
In March, however, he faced large protests in his previous stronghold Idlib, where protesters accused him of corruption and suppression. It remains to be seen whether his moderate rhetoric will match his future actions.
What is his background?
Born in Saudi Arabia to Syrian parents who are from the Israel-occupied Golan Heights, Sharaa grew up hearing the stories of his family’s displacement.
During the infamous Arab-Israeli War of 1967, Israel occupied the Golan Heights, rendering its inhabitants, including Sharaa’s family, homeless.
Assad’s ouster under the leadership of Sharaa is, in a way, life coming full circle. His father Hussein al-Sharaa was a pan-Arab nationalist, who was imprisoned in the 1970s by Bashar al Assad’s father Hafez al Assad. After his release, Sharaa’s father sought asylum in Saudi Arabia where he worked as an oil engineer.
In 1989, when he was seven-years-old, the Sharaa family returned to Syria’s Damascus. The young Sharaa pursued journalism, studying media.
In the 2000s, the Second Intifada left indelible marks on Sharaa’s life. While his father had cultivated strong ties with the Palestinian armed groups affiliated to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the young Sharaa established contacts with radical groups like Al Qaeda.
“I started thinking about how I could fulfil my duties, defending a people who are oppressed by occupiers and invaders,” he said during an interview with Frontline in 2021, referring to the Palestinian resistance against Israel.
In the preceding months of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, he joined the Al Qaeda ranks, fighting against the American occupation.
By the mid-2000s, he was imprisoned by US authorities in Iraq and subjected to difficult conditions in America’s notorious dark sites for at least five years. On his release in 2011, Sharaa stepped into a different world.
The Arab Uprisings were spreading across the Middle East, reaching Syria too. Sharaa quickly joined hands with the anti-regime forces, launching another battle against the Bashar al Assad’s rule in Syria.
Toward being a top operative
After his move to Syria, Sharaa formed Jabhat al Nusra, the Syrian wing of Al Qaeda. In 2013, when Daesh wanted to annex Syria and merge it with the parts it had captured in Iraq, Sharaa rebelled, triggering a fight between the two groups.
While Daesh lost control across both Syria and Iraq thanks to an American-led coalition interference, Sharaa’s Nusra Front survived, partly due to its anti-Daesh stance.
In 2016, Sharaa rebranded his group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (Front for the Conquest of Syria), indicating that the new structure has its own agenda, straining its ties with Al Qaeda. The next year, he once again changed the group’s name to its current format, publicly saying that the HTS has no connections with al Qaeda.
In the last seven years, Sharaa’s HTS has focused on Syria, increasing its hold over the Idlib province, which was the last opposition stronghold in the country prior to November 27, when the 11-day offensive against the Assad regime began.
CrossFireArabia
