So, a convicted felon and an indicted war criminal walk into a press conference. While this may sound like the start of a joke, it is precisely what took place at a joint press conference held by U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Feb. 4, just before the U.S. president announced his plan to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip and have the United States take control of what he views as prime real estate.
Trump now adds Gaza—along with Greenland, Panama, and Canada—to the list of territories that he wants to take over. It may seem comical, but few in the region are laughing.
After 15 months of mass destruction by the U.S.-backed Israeli military in Gaza that—according to top international human rights organizations and scholars—amounts to genocide, the last thing countries in the region want to see is further displacement and dispossession of Palestinians.
This op-ed was published by Foreign Policy on February 5, 2025. To read more click here
