Donald Trump is keeping his promise to be a 'protector' of Israel
What does that mean for Gaza?


Donald Trump spent the 2024 presidential campaign promising to be a "big protector" of Israel if elected to the White House. In the first days of his presidency, he reaffirmed that stance — likely to the detriment of Palestinians.
During a flight on Air Force One at the end of his first week back, Trump told reporters his preference would be to "just clean out" Palestinians from Gaza, said The Associated Press. "I'd like Egypt to take people, and I'd like Jordan to take people," Trump added. A resettlement of refugees away from their homes "could be temporary or long term," he said. But Palestinian leaders rejected Trump's suggestion as amounting to ethnic cleansing, said The Guardian. Palestinians "are committed to remaining in their homeland," said Mustafa Barghouti, a senior Palestinian politician.
Trump during his first week in office also ordered the Pentagon to restart the supply of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, said Bloomberg. The Biden administration had paused those deliveries as a "serious sign of displeasure" with Palestinian civilian casualties caused by Israel in its war with Hamas. Trump's decision earned public applause from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a social media post, he thanked Trump "for keeping your promise to give Israel the tools it needs to defend itself."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'Pro-Israel bona fides'
"Trump hasn't laid out a clear vision for Gaza," Nicole Narea said at Vox last year. But his first-term record was pretty clear: He recognized Israel's "controversial annexation" of the Golan Heights and — after years of pledges from American politicians — also recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Those acts may have hurt America's ability to push Israeli-Palestinian negotiations forward. Trump sees those acts as "proof of his pro-Israel bona fides," Narea said.
Trump, a former real estate developer, sometimes seems to view Gaza as a development opportunity. Gaza could be like Monaco "if it was rebuilt the right way," he said on Hugh Hewitt's radio show during his presidential campaign. He admires Gaza's coastal setting. "You know, as a developer, it could be the most beautiful place — the weather, the water, the whole thing, the climate," Trump said, but added that Palestinians "never took advantage of it."
'Trump's Israel support comes with strings attached'
Trump's vision of a Monaco-informed Gaza "has gained little traction," John T. Bennett said at Roll Call. It amounts to a plan to "ethnically cleanse millions of Palestinians from their land" and to do so "for the sake of beachfront property is either genocidal or delusional — or both," said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Trump, Bennett said, "did not mention the Gazan population" in his musings.
Trump's support for Israel "comes with strings attached," said The Jerusalem Post. While the president is backing Netanyahu in public, behind the scenes he pressed Israeli leadership to make a deal with Hamas for a hostage exchange and a ceasefire. Israel and the United States may be allies, but they're also separate states with sometimes-diverging interests. The partnership between the two "does not mean the Trump administration is in lockstep with Netanyahu and his government," the Post added.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
The rise and rise of VTubers
Under The Radar This anime-inspired internet subculture is going global
By Abby Wilson
-
Book reviews: 'The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World’s Most Coveted Microchip' and 'Who Is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service'
Feature The tech titan behind Nvidia's success and the secret stories of government workers
By The Week US
-
Mario Vargas Llosa: The novelist who lectured Latin America
Feature The Peruvian novelist wove tales of political corruption and moral compromise
By The Week US
-
Climate: Trump's attempt to bring back coal
Feature Trump rolls back climate policies with executive orders aimed at reviving the coal industry
By The Week US
-
Trump's budget: Gutting Medicaid to pass tax cuts?
Feature To extend Trump's tax cuts, the GOP is looking to cut Medicaid and other assistance programs
By The Week US
-
Trump tariffs place trucking industry in the crosshairs
IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the White House barrels ahead with its massive tariff project, American truckers are feeling the heat from a global trade war
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Trump stands by Hegseth amid ouster reports
Speed Read The president dismissed reports that he was on the verge of firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over a second national security breach
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Corruption: The road to crony capitalism
Feature Trump's tariff pause sent the stock market soaring — was it insider trading?
By The Week US
-
How 'China shock 2.0' will roil global markets
Feature An overflow of Chinese goods is flooding the global market. Tariffs won’t stop it.
By The Week US
-
Retribution: Trump calls for prosecution of critics
Feature Trump targets former officials who spoke out against him, sending a warning to future whistleblowers
By The Week US
-
El Salvador's CECOT prison becomes Washington's go-to destination
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Republicans and Democrats alike are clamoring for access to the Trump administration's extrajudicial deportation camp — for very different reasons
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US