Q&A of the Day – Can the US Take Control of the Gaza Strip?
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Today’s Entry: @brianmuddradio What would need to happen for the US take control of the Gaza strip as @POTUS suggested the US will do?
Bottom Line: In Tuesday’s press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump had this to say: The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we’ll do a job with it too. We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings – level it out, create economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area. And as for the rationale the president said: Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s gonna end up the same way it has for 100 years. Until that moment, in terms of potential territorial expansion, President Trump had suggested that perhaps the US might retake the Panama Canal (due to China’s growing influence over it), buy Greenland and offer for Canada to become the 51st state. Not many had the Gaza Strip on their bingo card.
While many scoffed at Trump’s aforementioned suggestions, already we’ve seen significant progress with three countries in achieving the president’s policy objectives. Panama agreed to end its relationship with China and Canada and Mexico agreed to meet the administration's demands to secure and police the northern border. So, about the Gaza Strip...what goes on here? Understanding the status of the strip requires a little back story.
When Israel was established as a state in 1948, Egypt operated the small tract of land, that’s approximately 140 square miles, or similar in size to Washington D.C., that separates Israel and Egypt. Egyptian control of the strip continued until 1967 during the Six-Day War between Israel and Arab factions in the region. Israel established 21 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip over the next 38 years as they maintained control of the territory. In 2005 Israel ceded control of the strip to the Palestinian Authority amid growing geopolitical pressure. In September of 2005, an eviction of all Jewish settlements in Gaza was ordered. In January of 2006, following the election of Hamas as the governing body by the Palestinian people, Hamas established a military presence within the strip.
Over the next 18 years, preceding the October 7th 2023, terrorist attack by Hamas on Jews in Israel, and subsequent Israel-Hamas war, a total of 2.2 million Palestinians settled within the Gaza Strip. Conditions in Gaza under Hamas preceding the war were so deplorable that Human Rights Watch referred to Gaza as an “Open-Air Prison” - though commonly organizations like Human Rights Watch attempt to blame Israel for that condition. So, in answer to the question as to the status of Gaza and what would need to happen to control it...
Given that Hamas, a terrorist organization, has had operational control over the territory, it’s entirely viable for the United States to assume operational control. In order to assume control, the United States would need a permanent military presence in Gaza. With that said, the United States currently has 156,000 troops deployed outside of the United States with over 30,000 already stationed in the Middle East region (following 9/11 the US has had as many as 260,000 troops in the region).
The idea of establishing a military presence in the Gaza Strip would be and already has been met with strong resistance by Hamas, its allies throughout the Islamic world, and even countries like France that suggest the move would violate international law. The current population of Gaza is estimated to be fewer than 300,000 people (with over 1.9 million having left the area since onset of the war).
Aside from the potential to rebuild and provide stability to the territory, there could also be a strategic defense benefit from having a presence in the area, specifically as it pertains to Iran. The United States has maintained a military presence in the surrounding waters in support of Israel since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. It remains to be seen if the president’s suggestion is a negotiation tactic or an idea he’s committed to pursuing. Regardless, given the level of destruction in Gaza, regardless of who controls the territory, extensive rehabilitation of the area would need to take place.
It’s unlikely Hamas has the resources and capability to be able to rebuild the Gaza Strip even if they were committed to doing so. For this reason, among others, President Trump’s plan has merit. I for one have no interest in paying for the rebuild only for a terrorist organization to reap the benefits of it which is what’s likely to happen if the UN and like organizations were to have it their way.