The meeting between former President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was, undoubtedly, one of the warmest encounters we have seen in many years.
As a former National Security Adviser for Israel, I participated in two meetings between Israeli prime ministers and President Joe Biden. The meeting between Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Biden in the Oval Office was characterized by a declaration of commitment to Israel's security and preventing a nuclear Iran. Similarly, during Prime Minister Yair Lapid's meeting with Biden in Jerusalem, the "Jerusalem Declaration" was signed, consolidating all US presidential commitments to Israel in a single document.
Despite the importance of those meetings, Trump is a different kind of president, and these are different times. His meeting with Netanyahu was significantly unique. The numerous executive orders Trump has approved in recent weeks and his firm declarations of support for Israel, have likely exceeded even Netanyahu's expectations.
The Iranian issue was notably absent from Trump's public statements, though it should have been a key topic. Hopefully, in their private discussions, Netanyahu received clear commitments from Trump regarding heavy pressure on Iran, avoiding a hasty and harmful nuclear agreement, and supporting Israel in preparing for military action if necessary.
However, in this article, I want to focus on Trump's statement regarding his desire for a complete evacuation of Gaza and transforming it into a global Riviera. Netanyahu appeared surprised by Trump's remarks, and much has been written about how neither he nor his team were aware of such a plan in advance. Israeli supporters of population transfer were the first to seize on the statement, celebrating it as though Trump had endorsed and would personally implement their extreme policies.
But that is not the case. It is no coincidence that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz immediately clarified that the US does not intend to use military force in Gaza and does not support the forced removal of the Gazan population. At most, the US envisions a temporary evacuation to facilitate reconstruction, with residents returning to newly built homes.
While too many in Israel are eager to believe that the Americans will solve the Gaza problem for us, and that we will wake up one morning to find the Strip empty of its residents, it is crucial to face reality. For too many years, Israel has waited for the Gaza problem to resolve itself in one way or another, but in truth, it is Hamas that has continued to grow stronger.
Even this week, as the Washington press conference took place, Hamas continued to solidify its control over Gaza, its grip on humanitarian aid and its dominance over the streets. The images of the hostage release last Saturday only illustrates how swiftly Hamas reasserts control.
The Palestinian population in Gaza will not simply disappear. While some may wish to leave if given the opportunity, the majority will remain and cling to what little they have left. I believe that aside from a fringe minority in Israel, most Israelis understand that the forced evacuation of such a large civilian population is neither feasible nor acceptable.
Instead, Rubio and Waltz's statements suggest that the real opportunity Trump is offering Israel lies in making it unequivocally clear to regional actors that the time has come for them to take their role seriously in transforming Gaza into a safe, Hamas-free zone. Recent American media reports detail contacts made by Netanyahu's representatives in the final months of the Biden administration with Gulf states regarding their involvement in the "day after" scenario, assisting in civil governance and maintaining public order. These reports indicate that Netanyahu himself saw such an approach as viable.
Rather than continuing this momentum and working to establish a civil governance alternative in Gaza, supported by the Gulf states and pushing Hamas out of power, Netanyahu now appears to be embracing a fantasy of completely emptying the Strip. He is doing so despite knowing that this is not what the Trump administration means and that such a scenario is impossible without the unacceptable forced removal of all Gazans.
The prime minister would be far better off focusing on fully securing the release of the remaining hostages and ensuring their safe return home. At the same time, he should leverage the significant diplomatic opportunity Trump has presented to upgrade and solidify the plan Israel has been developing in recent months. With Trump's backing, the Gulf states' commitment to expelling Hamas from Gaza could be significantly stronger, and their financial resources for rebuilding, replacing Hamas' radical education system, and maintaining public order to prevent Hamas' resurgence would be considerably greater.
This is the major opportunity Israel has been given by the Trump administration, and it must not be squandered.
