It was too much even for some die-hard Donald Trump supporters when he said Tuesday that the U.S. would “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip, using American forces to clear out the weapons and unexploded ordinance. My colleague Robert Spencer reported all the gory details for you last night, so I won’t go over those again.
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But you do need to see some of the reactions before we get to what’s really going on here.
Varad Mehta, a generally pro-Trump conservative, said that “the idea the US should play a predominant, let alone the leading role in said reconstruction and effectively colonize Gaza, is bonkers.”
Cynical Publius is one of my go-to guys for sharp conservative commentary, and even he admitted that “Trump is testing my limits on this one.” And while Publius “will follow my own advice for now” and give Trump the benefit of the doubt, he is “deeply concerned that we are introducing US troops into the Gaza quagmire, which goes against the ‘No more forever wars’ mantra we all got behind during the election.”
And Another Thing: “Forever wars” is a lazy accusation, in addition to being ahistorical bunk — but I still find myself using it sometimes and won’t criticize Publius for using it.
Congresscritter Rashida Tlaib (D-Caliphate), showing her usual restraint, said, “This president can only spew this fanatical bullshit because of bipartisan support in Congress for funding genocide and ethnic cleansing.” It also didn’t take long for anti-Israel protestors to show up at the White House last night, waving their Hamas flags.
Everybody, left and right, please take a deep breath and relax. Trump’s opening bid is almost never his play — and I think I have his play figured out.
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What everybody recognizes (but few have the guts to say) is that Gaza doesn’t get to be this…
The Trump Resort, Gaza in 2030 pic.twitter.com/8ERR1Nyiz5
— Shelley G (@ShelleyGldschmt) February 5, 2025
…so long as Gazans remain wedded to this:
WILD FOOTAGE 🔴
An “innocent woman in Gaza”:
“We will live in tents, and all the women will get pregnant and give birth to terrorists,” she says.
“We have won— we are all Hamxs, Jihad, and the resistance.”
“And we will protect you with our souls,” pic.twitter.com/jWGKRja5Sc— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) January 30, 2025
The question is how to divorce Gazan Arabs from their love of terrorism. The answer might be to separate them from Gaza — or at least present a credible threat to do so.
Back in January, it was my sad duty to remind readers in this VIP-exclusive essay that “Rape has always been a tool of war, but it’s one of those historical realities we don’t often talk about.” I mention that only to frame another dirty reality of war: ethnic cleansing works. Stalin cleared Poland and Czechoslovakia of Germans (and the Soviet Union of Poles), and removed huge sources of friction in Central Europe.
The efficacy of ethnic cleansing is an observation, not an endorsement.
It’s also the one card Israel dare not play against the terror-minded Muslims of Gaza and the West Bank. The rest of the Arab world has allowed Israel (mostly) a free hand to deal with Hamas, Hezbollah, and the worst elements of the P.A., but the forced removal of Arabs to neighboring countries like Jordan and Egypt is something only Israel’s radical hardliners even whisper.
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But what was Trump talking about for a week before he made yesterday’s “crazy-stupid” suggestion to “take over” and “own” Gaza? Trump has spoken bluntly and repeatedly about relocating Gazans to Egypt, Jordan, and even Indonesia. “They will do it. They will do it. They’re gonna do it, okay? We do a lot for them, and they’re gonna do it,” Trump assured reporters last Friday.
So is Trump genuinely threatening two million people with ethnic cleansing so he can build resorts?
Hardly:
BREAKING: National Security Advisor Mike Waltz confirms that Trump’s proposal to “take over Gaza” *is* meant to pressure neighboring Arab nations to come up with their own solution.
“It’s going to bring the entire region to come with their own solutions.” pic.twitter.com/lEC6dYT0xd
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 5, 2025
What Trump did was force a hard reset on the Gaza problem, with the dual sticks of an American military presence/forced removals and the carrot of international development. Either way, the other Arab nations can get serious about divorcing Gazans from their terrorist ambitions… or maybe they get the stick.
“Remember those 587 times Trump staked out a radical position and while you were busy freaking out like a spastic moron,” I prodded people on X last night, “he negotiated the deal he was actually after in the first place?”
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So could you maybe try not freaking out like a spastic moron on the 588th go-round?
— Stephen Green (@VodkaPundit) February 5, 2025
Even my PJ Media colleague Scott Pinsker fell for it — but we all have off moments.
I know you didn’t need my reminder (did you?) but isn’t it nice sometimes to have someone else tell the others for you?
But don’t worry. We have four more years of Trump’s “crazy talk” getting results and plenty of skulls to watch explode again and again.
Recommended: Crazy Talk, Vol. 1: Trump’s Radical Plan to Force Putin to Talk Peace
P.S. Yes, the “Crazy Talk” headlines to today’s companion pieces are tributes to Van Morrisson and Paul Simon.
