Dear friends,
When President Trump announced on Tuesday that he thought that two million Palestinians should be displaced from Gaza and that the United States should then control the area, I assumed that he misspoke. The president could not actually mean to promote a policy of removing an entire people from their home and then taking control of their land. But as he continued to speak, it became clear that this was an actual plan and that it had been discussed in his meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu only moments earlier.
Some have called Trump’s statement a negotiating tactic – arguing that the president is beginning with a maximalist demand only to negotiate down to something less extreme. An article in the Jerusalem Post notes that the purpose would be to ‘shock’ Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf states into ‘stepping up in ways they have so far refused to’ (Alex Winston, Jerusalem Post).
But there’s a reason we don’t entertain such wild and morally indefensible proposals—it erodes our moral standing. And moral standing matters. It matters that the world sees us as upholding what is right and just, not simply as ruthless dealmakers indifferent to the lives of others.
What is needed now more than ever is a resolute dedication to bring the hostages home, to empower moderate partners and to re-imagine a dialogue about a two-state solution that provides sovereignty and security for two peoples.
What is not needed are proposals that divide us and empower the most extreme of voices.
May we all see a day where there is real peace and security.
RBL
