How realistic is Trump's plan for the Gaza Strip?

President Donald Trump's statement that the US could take control of the Gaza Strip has sent shockwaves through the Middle East. Many countries and analysts oppose it.

The first foreign leader to officially visit the White House in President Donald Trump's second term is highly controversial.

But the visit itself of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – wanted by the International Criminal Court for what it calls “crimes against humanity” – is not the most controversial part of this meeting.

It was Trump's statement about the US taking control of Gaza that caused the most reactions.

Trump said America must take control of the Gaza Strip.

"Everyone I've spoken to likes the idea of ​​the United States taking control of this piece of land, creating thousands of jobs," he said in a joint appearance with the Israeli prime minister at the White House.

Trump said he wants to transform Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East" where "people from all over the world will live."

'A distraction and a dead end'

"These statements that we are going to take this country under control could overturn the bipartisan consensus in the US. This idea is not even practical," says Brian Katulis, of the Middle East Institute.

This road, according to him, leads nowhere.

So it's a distraction and unlikely to produce any meaningful results.

Talks about the US taking over Gaza followed Trump's statements that Gazans "have no alternative" but to leave their territory and go to Egypt and Jordan.

This idea has been firmly rejected by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Jordan's King Abdullah II.

For his part, Netanyahu seemed to accept Trump's idea, saying it was worth paying attention to and that it was "something that could change history."

Netanyahu's apparent acceptance of the US taking control of the Gaza Strip is a relief for him, compared to the constant pressure coming at him from the Biden administration, which demanded a more realistic plan.

"To this day, even though the ceasefire is in place, there is no real plan for governance in the Gaza Strip. He [Netanyahu] opposed the entry of the Palestinian authorities there," Katulis said, adding that the Israeli prime minister may be very happy with the idea of ​​the US taking control, but no one else thinks it is really realistic.

Will the ceasefire agreement hold?

It is unclear whether Trump's ideas about taking over Gaza are real or just a distraction.

But it is clear that Netanyahu's visit comes at a time of major challenges to peace in the Middle East - from the next steps for the ceasefire in Gaza to the possibility of normalizing Israeli-Saudi relations and stability in the region.

The ceasefire will expire in March unless Israel and Hamas reach an agreement to extend it.

Hamas does not want to release more hostages unless Israel stops the war and withdraws from Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel constantly repeats that it will destroy Hamas.

"The price Hamas will ask for the release of the Israeli soldiers will be very high," says Jon Alterman, Director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Meanwhile, Israel is demanding Hamas' permanent withdrawal from the scene. This could complicate negotiations. Proposals for exchanges so far have not been accepted.

Negotiations have stalled and it is unknown whether they will succeed.

Following Netanyahu's nearly week-long visit to the US, Israel will send a delegation to Qatar to negotiate an agreement to extend the ceasefire with Hamas.

But Alterman is not sure about the prospect of peace there.

"I'm not sure the war is over there," he said.

Normalization of Israel-Saudi Arabia relations?

In the second phase of negotiations, the major project of normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia should also be discussed.

But that now seems far away.

There are major disagreements between them about the future and status of the Gaza Strip.

“Without a credible plan for a two-state solution that includes Gaza for the Palestinians, none of these plans will succeed,” says Katulis of the Middle East Institute. “The Saudis will not accept any solution that does not include the creation of two states.”

Trump's desires to take control of Gaza and be the man who achieves the normalization of Israeli-Saudi relations will not come true, just because he wants it.

"There is a deep conviction that Trump wants to do this just to say that he is the only one who could do such a thing. I am skeptical that these ideas can be realized without the necessary conditions being met," Alterman said.

The "ripples" following Trump's statements make it unclear what was actually achieved during the Israeli prime minister's visit to the US.

For the 47.000 Palestinians killed (according to Gaza health authorities) any agreement comes too late.

For the 76 Israeli hostages, about whom nothing is yet known, there is still a chance. Trump can push the parties towards peace and agreements. But the ideas of the US taking over Gaza can only harm the current processes. /DW/