by Seth J. Frantzman
King Abdullah has said he could take in 2,000 children from Gaza. He even specified how he might be able to get them to Jordan by helicopter.
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US President Donald Trump’s continued discussions about Gaza have already resulted in getting some movement in Jordan and Egypt.
Trump has been talking about the US taking control of Gaza and getting others to rebuild it for the last several weeks. His plans continue to grow with every meeting with the press.
While hosting the king of Jordan, the US president said that America would take and hold Gaza and “cherish” it.
The Jordanian King Abdullah has said that his country could take in 2,000 children from Gaza. He even specified how he might be able to get them to Jordan by helicopter. Meanwhile, Egypt is also making moves toward meeting some of Trump’s demands. Cairo says it will play a role in reconstruction.
Trump’s continued discussion of a Gaza plan is also raising eyebrows in other places. Iran is well aware of what this might mean, and its media has highlighted claims that the US could cut aid to Egypt and Jordan if Cairo and Amman don’t begin to toe the line.
Lebanon’s new Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, has also commented on the Trump plan. On February 12, he said, “Trump's plan to displace Palestinians is reprehensible and unacceptable, and we support the two-state solution.”
Al-Akhbar media in Lebanon also noted that the Trump plan may be affecting the ceasefire deal. Trump has demanded hostages be returned by Saturday, February 15.
Hamas's may be recalculating its plans
Hamas has tried to postpone, but Israel is threatening to renew its war in Gaza. Hamas knows Israel has full support from the Trump administration, and they may be recalculating.
This means that countries across the Middle East are responding to Trump’s statements. Jordan and Egypt both show some flexibility in moving in the direction that Washington wants.
This illustrates the importance of how the White House has sought to move the needle on issues in the region. For too long, Egypt and Jordan seemed to try to foist the Hamas and Gaza problem onto others.
For instance, neither country warned Israel about October 7, despite the fact that both countries should have picked up some hints of the Hamas plans. Neither country has done much to condemn Hamas for plunging the region into war.
Jordan has provided aid to Gaza, but in general, these countries have not wanted to step up. Now, Trump seems to have stirred them to act.
This is part of Trump's doctrine of “beating the grass,” which results in stirring up countries to actually do things rather than sit back and watch.
This is important because the region has been sleepwalking and slumbering from crisis to crisis for years.
The October 7 war was only one example of how the region was not able to prevent a major war. The Biden administration had pushed for “regional integration” as its motto for building on the Abraham Accords.
However, you can “integrate” a region if you let Hamas carry out the worst massacre of Jews since the Shoah. The fact is that many countries did not step up after October 7 to do something in response. Israel deserved much more regional solidarity.
Is Trump rectifying serious damage done in the Middle East?
Instead, its peace partners gave Israel the cold shoulder. Enemies gathered and sought to back Hamas, such as the Iranian proxies in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria.
This has caused serious damage. Trump is trying a new tack. It’s possible that Jordan and Egypt won’t be able to deliver on the ideas that Trump has discussed, such as resettling around 2 million Gazans.
However, what is important is not that the plan results in getting everything. In a deal-making process, you lay out your demands and then try to get something in the middle.
Your opening position isn’t necessarily where you want to end up.
Trump opened with a big demand about moving some 1.7 million Gazans and the US taking a role in Gaza, while others pay to rebuild Gaza. If some of that can be achieved, it will be a success.
Seth J. Frantzman
Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-841764
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