Richard told me that there was actually a historical precedent for this last part of the idea of an independent Gaza in the world of athletics: the Gaza Amateur Athletic Federation competed in international competitions as a distinct entity from 1964-1983, when Arafat finally succeeded in pressuring it to become part of a Palestine Athletic Federation.
I fleshed out this plan for peace, which is different than the "3 state solution" that had been proposed in the past as it would not include any “Palestinian state,” but have a nation of Israel, a state of Gaza, and “Palestinians” would be moved into another Arab state. I wrote articles about the fallacy of “Palestine” and another article proposing and detailing this different solution for peace in the region. I then proposed this idea to a Senator in January, 2024, who asked me to write a short summary of the idea. The summary was passed to some members of Congress, but no one had the bandwidth to deal with the idea, as all focus was on getting Donald Trump elected. In June, 2024, I wrote another more detailed article on how this peace plan could work. Some people said it was crazy, others that it was creative.
And then came the President Trump/Prime Minister Netanyahu press conference.
This idea is now part of the dialogue in the public arena, and what was discussed at the press conference has shaken the world. As a person who has been wrestling with the idea for over a year, it is worth exploring some of the inherent challenges and benefits to what Trump and Netanyahu discussed.
Let’s start with the realistic truths that are the underlying foundations of Trump’s plan. There can never be peace as long as Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and its proxies have control over the region. Specifically, peace can never be achieved with Hamas having any influence in Gaza, as they are committed from their very inception and in their formation charter to the complete destruction of Israel. It is the underlying purpose of their very existence. Moreover, for all intents and purposes, Gaza itself is not habitable due to the destruction of the war. If any American city was even close to the state of disrepair that Gaza is in, it would be immediately evacuated. This is one of the primary motivations in the Trump plan: to create a place of safety and security for the civilians of Gaza.
There is no such thing as “Palestine,” and the myth that has been created for the last five decades is just that, a lie told so often that many believe it. But this is the honest historical reality. There is no such thing as "Palestinians"— their great-grandparents viewed themselves as either Egyptians or Jordanians. Those who self-identify with that group either need to create a new nation or be integrated back into their ancestral homelands of Egypt and/or Jordan. Those two countries have traditionally rejected the “Palestinians” as they recognize that the Islamic extremists like Hamas are dangerous to their own countries. But with pressure that exposes Egypt/Jordan as either supporters of their own displaced people or being against that immigration, Trump is probably accurate in his belief that they will ultimately allow those “Palestinians” as immigrants and hold them accountable to Egyptian and Jordanian law.
In order to have a lasting peace, it is a goal for Gazans to have both peace and prosperity; two things they have lacked for decades under the rule of Muslim extremists. But Gaza includes some of the primest beach areas in the world. There is every opportunity for the beach of Gaza to become one of the most beautiful resorts in the world. By partnering with resort and hotel chains such as Hyatt, Hilton, etc., beautiful beachside resorts could be built from the ruins of Gaza that would rival resorts anywhere in the world. The non-beach areas of Gaza could also become an international business hub like Singapore, Cayman Islands, or Malta. Given that the United Arab Emirates has already become one of the friendliest and most efficient international business environments in the world, and is part of the Abraham Accords, it makes perfect sense to have their involvement in this business aspect of redeveloping Gaza as well.
As in every creative solution to an established problem, there are some inherent challenges that must be addressed. But each of these challenges are surmountable.
The first and most basic challenge will come from the Arab world in general, and the extremist Islamic/anti-United States world specifically. To change the propaganda perpetuated for years by recognizing that there is no such thing as “Palestine” and to separate out the “Palestinians” means removing the victim that has been used for decades as a propaganda tool, and it will be difficult. This is not a war of weapons, but a war of words and information. It is a war that must be won for there ever to be any sort of peace. Education must be repeated loudly about the true history of the region, and the propaganda of the fictional “Palestine” must be exposed for what it is: a modern lie to create an Arab “victim” for political purposes. Until this myth is exposed for the fallacy that it is, a lasting peace will be difficult to achieve.
This first challenge leads to a secondary but related issue: what can and should be done with those Arabs who have bought into the lie of “Palestine” over the last 40 years, and now self-identify as part of a “Palestinian” culture? Whatever the objective history, the current reality is that these people have created a group identity that must be dealt with. They need to have a place that they can call “home”. This challenge can be met in one of two ways: for those who self-identify as “Palestinians” to either be integrated into Jordan and Egypt; or for a new home to be established for them in another area farther away from Israel. President Trump has already simultaneously started working on both possible solutions with his pressure on Egypt/Jordan, and his attempts to find another home for them in another nation (and Greenland is not a legitimate alternative, despite the old Golden Girls episode that jokingly proposed just that).
But this integration of Muslim extremists into Jordan or Egypt creates a different and serious potential challenge: terrorism. With Hamas sympathizers still being physically close to Gaza, it would be expected that some terrorists might attempt to destroy the rebuilding of Gaza. But there is again a way of modeling and adapting another situation to create a successful environment for the new Gazan businesses.
In the last forty years, there has been the creation of an entire industry in Indian gaming casinos. At first, there were significant pushbacks from many tribal members who didn’t want gambling on their land. But that was overcome by the casinos creating specific policies. The majority of employees at any Indian casino needed to be tribal members, and a portion of profits from the casinos were given to every tribal member. All tribal members were able to partake in the different services that were paid for by the casinos, and the people received free medical and hospital care; public schools were built for tribal families; and educational scholarships for tribal children wanting to attend colleges all became part of the benefits that every tribal member directly experienced as a result of the casinos. And so, the extremist tribal voices against the casino were silenced by their own people who were significantly benefitting from the new ventures.
Similarly, by giving jobs to non-extremist Gazan citizens in the new resorts, these civilians will be inclined to support those hotels in every way. By letting the people directly participate in the profits through medical, educational, and financial benefits, these new businesses would be welcomed by Arab citizens, who would passionately protest any act of terrorism as it would directly and radically affect their lives negatively. The world dialogue will shift if Hamas attacked a resort that is staffed by Arabs. For these businesses to be destroyed would demonstrate to the world the absolute villainy of Muslim extremist terrorism. No longer would the Arab extremists be able to hide behind civilians and claim that they are protecting a victim. With employment and quantifiable benefits, the population would themselves protect the new businesses against the terrorists. World opinion would quickly turn against the terrorists, transforming their perception from one of “freedom fighters” into exactly what they really are: terrorist proponents of true evil.
There will undoubtedly be significant challenges during the interim years between the military defeat of Hamas and the full redevelopment of Gaza into a resort and international business community. My original thought was to have Gaza administered by an international coalition for 3-4 years to both keep Gaza safe from the evil of Hamas et al, and to guide Gaza into a different worldview that integrates international business. But President Trump’s idea, as he expressed it at the press conference, is actually much wiser and safer: to have America control Gaza and build it up under American supervision and guidance. More than an international coalition, this would encourage businesses to feel safe in and invest in Gaza, and Trump’s method is much better on every level.
As we have seen in most of the mainstream media since the press conference, President Trump is being attacked as if he wants to annex Gaza as part of the United States. These outlets print headlines like “Trump wants to take over Gaza,” and that Trump wants to take over Gaza through “ethnic cleansing”. But in understanding the long term vision of a peaceful and successful Gaza, it is clear that it is only an administering of Gaza until it can stay safe and prosperous on its own and realizes its potential of becoming an international business hub. Trump’s own words from the press conference are clear:
“I really believe that many countries will soon be joining this amazing peace and economic development transaction. It really is a big economic development transaction.”
“We're going to take over that peace and we're going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs. And it will be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of.”
“I envision a world - people living there, the world's people. I think you'll make that into an international, unbelievable place. I think the potential in the Gaza Strip is unbelievable. And I think the entire world, representatives from all over the world will be there and they'll live there. Palestinians also. Palestinians will live there, many people will live there…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 - this could be so magnificent.”
“The Riviera of the Middle East” inhabited by “the world’s people.” This is a dream that is large, and until recently, never even viewed as a remote possibility, let alone a potential reality. But President Donald Trump is a visionary and dreamer; a man of courage and creativity who thinks outside the box, and as a result, embraces ideas and creates opportunities that few people consider. This speech, press conference, and plan for peace exemplifies his ability to conceive and actualize in creative ways.
The foundation stones are in place. The challenges can be met. This dream of President Trump’s truly can become a reality.
Over a century ago, Theodor Herzl, considered the founder of modern Israel, was similarly considered unrealistic about his dreams of a Jewish nation in our ancestral homeland of over 3000 years. His famous words ring true again as an expression of President Trump’s courageous plan for peace and prosperity in Gaza and the Middle East.
“If you will it, it is no dream. And if not, a dream it is, and a dream it will remain.”
May this dream of President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu become more than a dream, but a new reality of peace in our time in Israel, Gaza, the Middle East, and the world.
