Trump’s ‘shock and awe’ and Palestine

President Donald Trump’s “shock and awe” assault on virtually every major institution in Washington has been, to a degree, successful. His radical cabinet appointments, widespread firings and threats to the federal workforce, and seemingly scattershot Executive Orders betray Trump’s intent: an overwhelming show of power to disorient and demoralize his opponents.

While Trump’s actions have been primarily focused on the domestic front, he has thrown in a few foreign policy zingers for good measure with threats to take back the Panama Canal, force Denmark to sell him Greenland and annex Canada. As reactions from Panama, Denmark, and Canada have made clear, these Trump's foreign policy “tests” and challenges have not had the same impact as his domestic bullying.

In another quixotic foreign policy venture, Trump threw a bombshell into the middle of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by proposing that, prior to reconstruction, it would be necessary to “clean out Gaza.” In conversations with His Majesty King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Trump reportedly pressed both to accept the bulk of Palestinians from Gaza, with Albania and Indonesia being tapped as backups for resettlement.

If Trump’s goal was to provoke a reaction, it flopped. None of these countries agreed to participate in this bizarre scheme. And beyond a simple rejection, Palestinians, preoccupied with their emotional return to Gaza’s north and fighting off an increasingly aggressive occupation in the West Bank, have pretty much ignored Trump’s bait.

Let us be clear: If the ceasefire holds and moves on to reconstruction, serious issues must be confronted, including two million homeless Palestinians and hundreds of thousands of demolished homes and buildings. An estimated two or three years are needed to remove or repurpose the rubble, and decades to build sufficient housing.

If one did not know Trump, or his Israeli allies, one might think he was compassionately appealing to neighbours to shelter homeless Palestinians until Gaza was rebuilt. But that interpretation would be foolish. Trump given no indication that he is moved by Palestinian suffering, while the prospects of building a resort on Gaza’s shores holds more appeal. And Netanyahu’s coalition clearly wants to evict Palestinians from Gaza.

Thus, Trump’s “suggestion” that Palestinians be moved to Egypt and Jordan seems more like providing his blessing for a new Nakba. The 1948 Nakba saw the forced eviction of 700,000 Palestinians from their homes followed by Israel’s demolition of over 420 Palestinian villages to ensure that they couldn’t return. This second Nakba would reverse the process, with Israel first demolishing entire residential areas in Gaza and then “transferring” 2,000,000 Palestinians out of their country.

It is best never to assume that Netanyahu, his coalition and their enablers in Washington will not do the worst thing possible. Trump may be attempting to transfer his “shock and awe” to the Middle East or innocently floating the transfer to facilitate reconstruction. But more likely it is a “trial balloon” for Netanyahu, to test regional acceptance of a genocidal transfer plan to “solve” the Palestinian problem.

Neither Palestinians nor their supporters have reacted in full fury to Trump’s “suggestion.” Nor has a plan been proposed for clearing the rubble and rebuilding with two million Palestinians under foot.

Acceptance of any relocation and reconstruction plan requires at least two conditions. Israel must fully withdraw from Gaza, surrendering control of access and egress from the territory. This precondition would allow Palestinians to feel confident that if they leave Gaza, they are guaranteed the right to return. Another problem is that some Palestinians returning to the north are unable to identify where their homes once stood. To avoid confusion or conflict, if municipal records no longer exist, an effort to map Gaza is needed, so Palestinians can establish the location of residences and businesses.

Without ironclad assurances of return and a plan to facilitate return to specific locations, relocation and reconstruction efforts will only create deeper problems.

For over a century, Palestinians have been pawns played by Western powers and the Zionist movement. Dismembered, dispossessed and dispersed among nations, their national identity and attachment to their lands have only become stronger, making them a persistent thorn in their oppressors’ side. The US must recognise this reality and, instead of compounding Palestinian suffering, develop a humane plan to force Israel to end the occupation and implement long-denied Palestinian rights.

The writer is president of the Washington-based Arab American Institute