• Middle East and North Africa

February 5, 2025, 5:01 PM View Comments ()

U.S. President Donald Trump’s vision for Gaza, as laid out during his press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Feb. 4, threw a grenade into an already destabilized Middle East foreign-policy scene.

The idea of the United States taking over the Gaza Strip is so clearly unfeasible that it can’t be credibly regarded as an option any time soon.

Analysts and foreign-policy professionals will therefore be interested in figuring out whom Trump is trying to pressure by staking out such an extreme position that could move the goalposts and disrupt postwar planning for the Gaza Strip.

This is all happening as the negotiations for the second phase of the cease-fire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas are being negotiated—a stage that begins to deal with more political and strategic issues related to Gaza’s future and recovery.

Trump is likely seeking to pressure Arab nations into doing more for Gaza through his threats of the United States taking over the Gaza Strip—signaling that he would reluctantly have to get involved if they don’t take the initiative.

This includes Gulf nations, which he hopes will finance Gaza’s recovery and reconstruction. Egypt and Jordan—while unable to take in displaced Palestinians for obvious geopolitical, economic, security, and social issues—may be expected to play a more significant security role in Gaza, with the ultimate goal of preventing Hamas’s monopoly on power and authority in Gaza.

Of course, regardless of Trump’s true intentions, his statements will nevertheless be extremely damaging to the United States’ international and regional standing, while adding to the widespread perception that the country has not been helpful throughout the war in Gaza.