Gaza: The End of the ‘Post-American Middle East’?

President Donald Trump declared ‘’The US will take over the Gaza strip’’ on the 4th February 2025, at a joint press conference between the White House and Israel.

Donald Trump claimed that once the U.S. seized control of Gaza and relocated its Palestinian population, the territory would become “the Riviera of the Middle East.” He added: “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, levelling the area, and getting rid of the destroyed buildings,” implying that Egypt and Jordan would absorb the displaced Palestinians. Domestically and internationally, Trump’s enthusiasm for this announcement was not well received. Several Republicans dismissed the plan as “unrealistic” (The Hill, 2025), while Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia vehemently rejected it (The New Arab, 2025).
The proposal suggests the beginning of the end of the “post-American Middle East,” which was characterized by U.S. disengagement from the region. Currently, the administration’s actions serve as a pretext for the U.S. to reassert its presence in the Middle East to guard against competition from global powers such as China and Russia, as well as regional players like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, and Egypt. An attempt to resume a regional hegemonic role and implement the proposal will likely bring prolonged instability to the area.

The Future of Palestine

Although the plan frames long-term ownership as humanitarian assistance for Palestinians and an economic opportunity for the region, it could result in one of the largest forced displacements in modern history, violating international human rights and humanitarian law. Neither Trump nor Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu specified whether this takeover would produce a two-state or one-state solution. However, Trump stated in a Fox News interview, conducted shortly after the press conference, that Palestinians would not have the right to return to Gaza (Al Jazeera, 2025). Since borders are intrinsically linked to the security of states—a central concern of realism—U.S. ownership of the Gaza Strip could enable Israeli annexation, effectively blocking the creation of a Palestinian state, a longstanding objective of Netanyahu and various Israeli officials (Al Jazeera, 2024).
The previous Trump administration’s approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict can be interpreted through a realist lens of power dynamics and alignment with Israeli interests. By offering unequivocal support for Israel, both the previous and current Trump administrations have permitted Israeli authorities to deny Palestinian self-determination, disregard U.N. resolutions, and violate international law through the expansion of Jewish settlements in the Occupied Territories while upholding military occupation in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. The assumption that Palestinians and Hamas would willingly comply with the proposal reflects the administration’s irrationality.
The 1948 Nakba, or “catastrophe,” refers to the violent expulsion and ethnic cleansing of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the establishment of the State of Israel. Between 750,000 and one million Palestinians were forced from their homeland from 1947 to 1949 (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, 2008). To Palestinians, Trump’s proposal would represent a second Nakba, unleashing decades of violence and instability.

The ‘Post-American’ Middle East and Implications for the Region

This press conference stands in stark contrast to the Trump administration’s prior, more isolationist policies, which advocated a unilateral reduction of U.S. commitments abroad. Earlier geopolitical strategies aimed to project U.S. power by aligning with allies and offering bilateral assistance rather than direct intervention. Under Trump, the U.S. recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moved its embassy from Tel Aviv; acknowledged Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights; and brokered the Abraham Accords.
Displacing 2 million Palestinians and assuming control of Gaza will likely break the Abraham Accords. In 2020, the Trump administration formalized ties between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to maintain regional security. By promoting collaboration on political, economic, and security interests, the Accords reduced Israel’s regional isolation and advanced broader integration in the Middle East. However, Saudi Arabia—having stated that normalization with Israel is contingent upon concrete progress toward a Palestinian state—would likely abandon the Accords. The UAE and Bahrain might also face heightened domestic and regional pressure to suspend or rescind their agreements.
Although Trump previously championed isolationism and a unilateral drawdown of foreign commitments, the Abraham Accords offered a way to guard against geopolitical competition with Russia and China, preserving some of the U.S. influence shared among global powers.

Today, Israel’s security environment is characterised by what some call “a unique perception of the perils of anarchy” (Roth, 2009:378), leaving the state to view both the international system and the Middle East region as increasingly hostile. Trump’s proposal will likely exacerbate those concerns, creating further insecurity and instability, isolating Israel, and jeopardizing its long-term survival.

Bibliography

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