Donald Trump is taking his audacious approach to politics to the Middle East (Image: Getty)
America loves disruptors, mavericks and renegades who tear up the status quo and change the world.
sees himself in that tradition. He delights in breaking the rules of the political game, fusing the power of celebrity with shock tactics and realpolitik.
He thinks nothing of laying claim to Greenland or threatening allies with punitive tariffs – but his latest move is the most incendiary yet.
During his first presidential term, he pursued the “ultimate deal” of ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a triumph beyond the grasp of every modern president.
He dispatched his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, on this mission and in 2020 signed the Abraham Accords, transforming relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
The grand prize would be getting Saudi Arabia to normalise relations with – and thwarting this breakthrough is considered a key reason why Hamas launched the October 7 attacks.
Trump is now back in the Oval Office and determined to use the full power of the presidency to remake America and the world before the lame-duck era looms. Time is short and he has ventured back into Middle East politics with arguably his most audacious intervention yet.
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A prime objective for Trump supporters is avoiding lengthy entanglements in foreign wars and steering clear of Iraq-style “nation-building” projects.
His Republican allies must have fallen off their chairs when they heard him announce that the “US will take over the Gaza Strip”, claiming that “everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land”.
Most outrageously, he spoke of getting Palestinians to “resettle” permanently in “nice homes where they can be happy and not be shot and not be killed”.
The idea of moving people – whose families have demanded the right to return to historic homes in – out of Gaza, which would become a US-administered area, is as outrageous as it is wild.
Jordan and Egypt have made it clear they will not open their borders to Palestinians but Trump said he had a “feeling” the leaders of these countries “will open their hearts and give us the kind of land that we need to get this done”.
Such words send shockwaves through regions of the world already beset with trauma and suffering. It bears no relation to traditional approaches to a peace process and the multi-decade search for a two-state solution.
Instead, he talked about a territory reeling from more than a year of war as a real estate opportunity.
“I don’t want to be cute,” he said. “I don’t want to be a wise guy, but the Riviera of the Middle East, this could be something so magnificent.”
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It is unthinkable that the armed groups in Gaza would tolerate United States troops taking over this strip of land. And it is equally unthinkable the US population would tolerate casualties when their own national security is not at stake.
Is this madness – and there is method in it?
Back in 2018, Trump said on what was then known as Twitter: “Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart.”
He knows that his unpredictability is an asset. By torching the traditional rules of diplomacy it is harder for international counterparts to “game” his tactics.
The most optimistic reading is Trump is sending out an almighty signal to all parties that surrender to despair is not an option. He is determined to impose a grand settlement which will unlock a new era in the region, and he will not be deterred by any people’s sensitivities.
Not long ago, commentators fretted that the US under Trump would retreat into isolationism and not engage in international crises. Now the reverse is true.
The sight of a smiling Benjamin Netanyahu will do nothing to reassure either Palestinians or Israelis who are horrified by the Israeli PM’s actions. The President’s words may sound crass or crazy when the region has seemed starched of hope he has stepped forward with a uniquely Trumpian vision, describing “the potential in the Gaza Strip” as “unbelievable”.
This is quite different to when Bill Clinton quote Seamus Heaney to the people of Londonderry, telling them to look forward to the day when “hope and history rhyme”.
Will Trump take a similarly unorthodox approach to ending the war in ? He says he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, and he doubtless knows exactly where in Mar-a-Lago he would put it on display.
Back in 1964, President Lyndon Johnson’s campaign mocked Republican presidential contender Barry Goldwater with the slogan: “In Your Guts You Know He’s Nuts.”
Foreign policy experts may wonder if Trump is nutty and dangerous, but if he somehow leads a transformation of the Middle East into a better future then generations to come will see the method in his madness.