It’s been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. That’s why Tuesday’s meeting between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was so historic. Trump dropped a potentially game-changing idea on how to fix Gaza, a tiny coastal strip that’s been home to misery for its own residents and for Israel going back decades.
Folks, Gaza right now is essentially a giant heap of rubble thanks to the war that Hamas launched against Israel on October 7th, 2023, by massacring 1,200 Israelis. On that dark day, Hamas literally brought judgment down upon the heads of every Gazan.
Discussing the results of Hamas’ demonic obsession with destroying Israel, the President stated:
Trump: “The only reason the Palestinians want to go back to Gaza is they have no alternative. It’s right now a demolition site. This is just a demolition site. Virtually every building is down. They’re living under fallen concrete that’s very dangerous and very precarious… Gaza is a hellhole right now. It was before the bombing started, frankly. And we’re going to give people a chance to live in a beautiful community that’s safe and secure. And I think you’re going to see a tremendous outflowing of support.
Gaza is in ruins, and now Hamas has been largely smashed as Israel continues to secure the remaining hostages held by the terror group—as part of a shaky ceasefire deal. It’s very clear to everyone that things cannot go back to how they were. Hamas must be completely destroyed and the population of Gaza, which voted Hamas into power, must be deradicalized.
Here’s the problem: the only solution the so-called “International Community” has come up with thus far is to pour countless billions of dollars into rebuilding Gaza, which will take years—only to see it turn once again into a hellish cauldron of Palestinian terror and antisemitic extremism. In other words, the same tired failed ideas leading to the same horrific outcome. The very definition of insanity! But then along comes Donald Trump, putting forward a very different vision for Gaza that’s completely “outside the box.”
Trump: The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too. We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings. Level it out. Create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area. We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal. And I don’t want to be cute. I don’t want to be a wise guy. But the Riviera of the Middle East, this could be something that could be so magnificent.
During the press conference, you could almost hear the sound of jaws dropping—from the headquarters of the UN, the European Union, and Arab capitals in the Middle East all the way to the offices of the Democrat Party here in America. All of the above have been all-in on the same failed cycle of insanity. They pour countless billions into rebuilding Gaza after every new war that Hamas launches, only to see the Iranian proxy pocket those dollars, building more rockets and terror tunnels.
As President Trump pointed out, Gaza right now is uninhabitable and will be for a long time. Therefore, what he is suggesting is relocating the roughly 1.8 million Palestinians who live in Gaza to other Arab Muslim countries, like Jordan and Egypt. Then Gaza would be completely rebuilt without the constant threat of Hamas looming. The United States would turn this hellish place into an economic development zone, creating thousands of jobs and a beautiful tourist destination right on the shores of the Mediterranean.
Now, this plan would obviously not happen overnight. Hamas has been extremely weakened, but it’s not dead yet; there are also still some 79 hostages being held in Gaza and the obvious issue of relocating close to 2 million people. President Trump’s proposal is the first original solution put forward for Gaza in a very long time. Once again, he proves that he’s a visionary leader and an outside-the-box thinker, just as he did during his first term. When he forged the Abraham Accords peace treaties between Israel and its Arab neighbors, he also moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem—a move which made the usual suspects howl in opposition, just as they’re doing now with news of his Gaza proposal.
Can it work? I believe it can.
Remember, the Palestinians who live in Gaza have a relatively brief connection to that strip of land going back only decades. Would they really be opposed to a fresh start elsewhere in a nice new neighborhood without the threat of violence lurking around every corner? As for suggestions that this would be nation-building like the US attempted in Iraq, since the strip would first be emptied of its population, terrorists would not be sniping and bombing US citizens as they worked to rebuild Gaza.
You may think it all sounds crazy. If that’s your view, consider this (there may just be a method to the madness): even if his Gaza plan never materializes, what President Trump just did was smash decades of failed thinking and ignite a new conversation, a new approach to one of the world’s longest running problems. That is leadership, and that is the art of using leverage, which we’ve seen Trump do repeatedly with the likes of Mexico, Canada, Colombia, and Panama since he took office just weeks ago.
Then there is Iran. During his press conference with Netanyahu on Tuesday, Trump announced that maximum pressure is back:
Trump: “Today, I also took action to restore a maximum pressure policy on the Iranian regime, and we will once again enforce the most aggressive possible sanctions, drive Iranian oil exports to zero and diminish the regime’s capacity to fund terror throughout the region and throughout the world.”
Let’s read between the lines. Trump is giving the Iranian regime one last chance. He is about to squeeze Iran economically in a major way. If even that does not cause Iran to abandon its pursuit of a nuclear weapon, then Iran’s nuclear facilities will be destroyed.
Trump: They cannot have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple. I’m not putting restrictions. I’m not. They cannot have one thing. They cannot have a nuclear weapon. And if I think that they will have a nuclear weapon, despite what I just said, I think that’s going to be very unfortunate for them.
This is the year of reckoning for Iran’s nuclear program. Either the Ayatollahs drop their nuclear dreams once and for all or Israel will destroy their nuclear facilities, perhaps with help from the United States or, at the very least, with a green light from President Trump. It’s no wonder Prime Minister Netanyahu had some serious praise for his American counterpart:
Netanyahu: I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again: You are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House. And that’s why the people of Israel have such enormous respect for you.
One last important point, to mention from this week’s historic meeting at the White House: the Abraham Accords are now back on the table, and a groundbreaking peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia is a very real possibility.
Netanyahu: I think peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia is not only feasible, I think it’s going to happen. I think if we had another half a year in your first term, it would have already happened.
It is very clear to me that we are living in a prophetic moment. God is on the move in the Middle East, in America, and around the world. He spared Donald Trump’s life for a reason, and he’s using him to upend decades of failed policies and to shine light in the darkness.
This is a golden opportunity for the body of Christ to work in the light to spread the gospel. So, let’s get to work. You never know how long this window will remain open.
