We saw last week how Trump’s thinking “outside the box” could transform the beleaguered Gaza Strip into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” A bustling tourist hub would be a much preferred replacement for the struggle and strife that have plagued Gaza for decades. And a prosperous neighboring land, devoid of terrorists, would undoubtedly bring much deserved security to the Jewish State.
In an interview with Fox News host Mark Levin (“Life, Liberty, and Levin”), which took place at the end of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s historic week-long diplomacy trip to the U.S., Netanyahu readily welcomed the president’s proposal for resolving the Gazan debacle. Calling it “the first fresh idea in years…a novel and correct approach” that should not be taken lightly, Netanyahu explained that Gazans who are completely de-radicalized and “disavow terrorism” would be welcomed back to the rebuilt enclave after their temporary relocation while the Strip undergoes massive reconstruction. Trump, in fact, was even less charitable. On Monday, he declared that Gazans would not have the right under any circumstances to return to Gaza under the implementation of his plan.
Contemplating Trump’s plans for transforming Gaza brought enormous relief to the Jewish State and to Jews around the world, but what may have been overlooked – and is equally crucial to the stabilization of the Middle East – is how the admirable Trump-Israel partnership has resulted in a bright economic “reset” for Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, and Turkey, and other countries in the region as well.
To begin with, Trump’s brokering of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire, even before he was inaugurated for his second term, prompted a rally in State of Israel bonds. With the implementation of the ceasefire, though admittedly fragile, the S&P (one of the three major bond credit rating agencies) has recently indicated an imminent credit upgrade to the State of Israel bonds, removing the negative credit outlook it had assigned to the country last fall. What this means is that investors will once again pour money into the Jewish State, knowing that their investment is safeguarded by the more sanguine forecast for Israel’s economic growth and prosperity.
On Monday, Trump showed his unflagging support for Israel once again. Upon learning of Hamas’ machinations in suspending the release of the hostages, Trump declared a complete cancellation of the ceasefire if all remaining hostages are not released by Saturday at 12 noon.
In examining the economic reset resulting from the strong Trump-Israel alliance, Lebanon has become a beneficiary. That is, in Trump’s extending the ceasefire deal with Lebanon to enable Israel to stay in a little longer in order to suppress the militant groups that have resisted the Lebanese army, Lebanon’s economic forecast was given a nice boost. A country hitherto mired in default-stricken bonds has witnessed a remarkable surge in the price of their bonds which continue to incrementally rise because Israel has disempowered and weakened Hezbollah, which had been strangulating and suffocating Lebanon for years. Netanyahu’s bequeathal of an iconic “gold pager” memento to the President last week, a symbol of Israel’s tour-de-force defeat of Hezbollah – a formidable enemy to both the Jewish state and to the U.S. – signified Israel’s success in weakening a matrix of power that had been draining the country just as a parasite depletes the vitality of its host.
Similarly, Egypt is a likely beneficiary of the Israel-Trump dyad. The President’s understanding of how imperative it is for Israel to have sufficient arsenal at its disposal – and consequently invoking his executive privilege to circumvent the lassitude of congress in approving arms sales to the Jewish State – is crucial to Israel’s multi-front war. In particular, Israel’s efforts to counter the attacks of Yemen’s Houthi fighters on ships in the Red Sea will enable Egypt to freely use the Suez Canal for cargo transport which is absolutely crucial to the Egyptian economy. In fact, in the last year alone, shippers who diverted around Africa rather than risk ambush by Houthis in the Suez Canal cost Egypt seven billion dollars – which is more than 60% of its Suez Canal revenues. Given that cargo transport is a mainstay for its economy, Egypt benefits from Israel’s continued strikes on the insurgent Houthis. And Trump certainly has proven that he understands the need to assist the Jewish State in continuing their efforts to create equanimity and balance in that troubled region.
Lastly, when Trump stressed at his joint press conference with Netanyahu last week that his plan to take over Gaza and make it into an idyllic spot along the Mediterranean will “create thousands of jobs,” he may have had Turkey in mind, along with the other beneficiaries of this major reconstruction plan. Turkey’s heavyweight construction firms, presently losing money, will benefit greatly in the massive rebuilding of the Gaza Strip because it will create the need for construction jobs. Though Turkey’s relationship with the Jewish State has suffered from the stress of the Israel-Hamas war, a quick boost to its construction industry and a healthy profit margin will understandably revive a once friendly relationship that had been interrupted by the Israel-Hamas conflict. Trump’s forward-looking Gaza plans most certainly augurs well for renewed relations between Turkey and Israel.
When Trump unveiled his innovative plans last week for a U.S. takeover of Gaza in order to turn this debacle into a treasured spot along the Mediterranean, everyone was left nonplussed. But as I look at these plans within the larger picture of Trump’s standing firmly with Israel in their committed and unrelenting efforts to vanquish the axis of resistance and bring stability to the Middle East, I see numerous neighboring countries becoming beneficiaries of the Trump-Israel alliance.
No doubt, a bright economic reset lies on the horizon. Trump and Israel partnered successfully in his first term in office, which has inured to the benefit of the Jewish State. This is a president who is not afraid to speak up. With his ambitious plans for his second term, Trump has already set the wheels in motion even though he’s only been in office for three weeks. Gaza will be made into a prosperous waterfront haven in the Middle East, plausibly akin to Singapore, and the neighboring countries will be made vital and strong as well.
Most certainly, this is a sign of an exceptional partnership between two willing parties that share the same vision for peace, prosperity, and stability. Both are willing to think creatively and are not deterred by naysayers. It’s not surprising that Netanyahu, upon his return from his week-long summit in the U.S., declared Trump the “greatest friend” Israel has ever had.
