By Arya Khorshidi.

U.S President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He reaffirms unconditional support and aid for Israel, supporting the next phase of its ceasefire with Hamas and curbing Iran’s ‘Axis of Terror’ by reinstating a “maximum pressure” policy.

It was certainly expected that President Trump would pay little attention to the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza during this meeting, who have been victims of a yearlong attack to “eradicate” the Hamas terror group, following the devastating and sickening October 7^th attacks.

However, Trump defied all expectations by suggesting a plan that would “permanently” settle the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, whilst simultaneously benefiting the United States.

The plan in question? A proposed purchase of the Gaza Strip, granting it complete American control and jurisdiction once Hamas are eliminated.

“I’m committed to buying and owning Gaza…we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back.” – Trump

This immensely controversial idea suggested by the President marks a notable departure from Trump’s pledge to put “America First” and adopt a more isolationist stance than his predecessors.

It even seemed to shock Prime Minister Netanyahu, who looked visibly surprised when Trump unveiled this objective during the two’s joint press conference. Nevertheless, he later commended his friend’s plan as “revolutionary and creative”.

It also greatly pleased right-wing Israeli officials such as Minister of Defence Katz who “welcomed the bold proposal”. After all, American control of Gaza would certainly alleviate pressure and financial burdens of the Israelis, as the cost of rebuilding the strip has been estimated to be billions.

The international response to President Trump’s proposal, however, has been far more negative.

Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, publicly promised that he would not normalise relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state, indirectly bashing Trump’s plan.

Moreover, officials from Egypt, Jordan, the U.N and even the U.K have distanced themselves or flat out denied Trump’s proposal.

Despite this, the U.S President remains fervently devoted to ensuring this “deal”, relocating millions of Palestinians in the process, who show no interest in leaving their homes.

By sticking to this objective, Trump has shown that he will adopt a more proactive stance to the defence of his allies than in his first term, which saw the movement of the Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, the recognising of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and the assassination of Iranian general Soleimani.

Whether meant as a negotiating tactic to encourage Hamas to dampen control over Gaza or as a legitimate plan to revolutionise the geographical and political landscape of the Middle East, it marks the beginning of an extremely uncertain era in U.S foreign policy.