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Once in a while Donald Trump says something that is actually very explosive, but doesn't get the attention it deserves. Yesterday we had a long item on how the Middle East could provide this year's October surprise. We still think this is so. However, on Monday, Trump said something about the Middle East that is significant. He said that Gaza could be rebuilt "better than Monaco," the Mediterranean tax-haven for the ultra wealthy. Trump said of Gaza: "It has the best location in the Middle East, the best water, the best everything." That's the real estate developer in him speaking.
The idea of turning Gaza into Monaco, or at least into Miami Beach East, is not new with the Trump family. Jared Kushner made the same point earlier this year, adding a small detail. Kushner said that the coastline was "very valuable waterfront property." He envisioned filling it with luxury condos and five-star hotels.
The only problem with Trump's plan and young Jared's plan is that Gaza is not empty. Over two million Gazans live in the Gaza Strip. How would they fit into these plans? Trump doesn't say, but the implication is that they should be gotten rid of somehow. Kushner is more explicit. He wants Israel to bulldoze an area in the Negev Desert and transport the Gazans there so he can make lots of money developing Gaza into Miami Beach East or now maybe Monaco.
Many of the Arab-Americans in Michigan are unhappy with Joe Biden arming Israel, but Biden has never called for physically transporting all the Gazans out into the middle of the desert as Trump's son-in-law has. If Trump wins the election and Michigan ends up being the key to his win by a few hundred votes, they may get buyer's remorse next year when Trump and Kushner actually try to "develop" Gaza into a paradise for rich people and tourists after deporting all the Gazans to the middle of the desert somewhere. (V)