Source: The Progressive
by Stephen Zunes
“On February 4, in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States ‘will take over the Gaza Strip,’ ‘level the site,’ have all Palestinians removed, and enable ‘people from all over the world [to] be there’ to enjoy what he appears to envision as an international resort area. While many observers are dismissing Trump’s statement as a bizarre and spontaneous scheme on which he will likely not follow through, the announcement appeared to be the result of at least some degree of planning …. it is the logical extension of decades of bipartisan U.S. policy in support of Israel’s occupation and colonization of the West Bank, as well as recognition of Israel’s illegal annexation of the Golan Heights, a recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s exclusive capital, and support for Israel’s decades-long siege of and successive devastating wars on the Gaza Strip.” (02/13/25)