Trump and the Era of Chaos

The project of displacing Palestinians and occupying the Gaza Strip is a declaration of war on the humanitarian international community. It takes us back to different eras of bloodshed, brutality, fascism, and Nazism—those periods governed by the law of the jungle, where people were slaughtered, cities were destroyed and burned, and their inhabitants were displaced.

After World War II, the international community pledged to put an end to decades of bloodshed and chaos. They established the United Nations and drafted a charter based on fundamental principles, the most important of which are equality between nations, the peaceful resolution of conflicts, non-interference in the affairs of other countries, the prohibition of threats or the use of force, the protection of human rights, and the right of peoples to self-determination and sovereignty over their homelands.

From this organization emerged legislative, executive, and judicial institutions to oversee the implementation of its principles. However, the UN failed to achieve its goals, and wars and conflicts continued with their brutality and bloodiness. The rules it established not only failed to prevent the outbreak of wars and conflicts but also proved incapable of mitigating their catastrophic consequences.

The UN’s failure in its core mission stems from the fact that the United States, which was founded on the genocide of millions of Indigenous people, never freed itself from the crimes that shaped its legacy and history. Instead, it adopted this criminality as a method for ruling and controlling the world. No U.S. president has ever felt remorse over this dark legacy; they have all followed the same path of destruction charted by their ancestors. Wherever they set foot, they left behind ruin and devastation.

Read: Trump’s imaginary riviera

Trump, who has just returned to the White House, is another figure in this continuous chain of criminals who have ruled the country. However, he is an even more dangerous and advanced version, considering himself a deity who commands reality with a word. He views nations as mere assets for profit and countries as real estate opportunities that can be bought, sold, or seized. Yesterday, he spoke of annexing Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal. During his first term, he handed the Golan Heights and Jerusalem to Israel, and today he contemplates granting it the West Bank while planning the displacement of Gaza’s residents to turn the Strip into an international hub. And despite all of this, he wants history to remember him as a peacemaker!

During the press conference he held with the Israeli prime minister, Trump appeared as a cowardly thug ranting in the language of the Crusades, declaring a religious war under the guise of economic opportunity. He promised to take over Gaza and transform it into a beautiful place—”the Riviera of the Middle East.” Yet, he failed to explain how he would execute his plan. The people of Gaza have made it clear in no uncertain terms that they will not abandon their land, which has shaped their identity and consciousness, except for their graves.

What Trump seeks to implement is a biblical fantasy wrapped in a commercial project. It does not merely violate the UN Charter and international law—principles that have already lost their value after 15 months of genocide against the residents of Gaza—but it is also an assault on human nature itself. Humanity is intrinsically tied to its homeland—emotionally, culturally, socially, economically, and politically. To uproot a people from their land is tantamount to a death sentence.

Trump’s project is not just an existential threat to the Palestinian people; it also endangers all the nations of the world. If this savage businessman succeeds in executing his vision, he will move on to target other populations, one after the other, without regard for allies or foes.

All of Trump’s decisions—both domestic and international—confirm that he has no concern for the welfare of nations, ending wars and conflicts, or addressing climate change. His only focus is on how to exploit crises of all kinds for profit and wealth accumulation. To him, the world, whether in peace or war, is merely a commodity subject to supply and demand.

The approach Trump adopts in leading both domestic and foreign affairs is extremely dangerous. It threatens internal stability first and foremost by provoking ordinary citizens and migrants alike. Not to mention his reckless engagement with the deep state. How can security and military institutions like the CIA, FBI, and Pentagon tolerate any plans—whether justified or not—that aim to curtail their influence? Moreover, the economic wars he has launched against various countries will likely lead to the isolation of the U.S. and possibly even the collapse of its economy. This isolation is further exacerbated by Washington’s withdrawal from international organizations and treaties and its imposition of sanctions on the International Criminal Court.

The only ones who cheered Trump’s plan were the Israelis. Seventy-three percent of them, from the far right to centrists and leftists, supported his project. This is unsurprising from a society that, for decades, has not raised its voice against the crimes committed against Palestinians. This is the same Israeli society that backed the genocide for 15 months without staging a single protest against the atrocities. The only demonstrations came from groups advocating for the release of Israeli prisoners through a deal with Netanyahu’s government.

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The real cause for concern after the announcement of this plan is not Trump and his savagery but rather the cold response from the very nations and governments it directly affects. One would have expected people to take to the streets and refuse to leave, and for ruling governments to call for an urgent Arab and Islamic summit to formulate a united response, threatening to take concrete measures to prevent the plan’s execution.

At the very least, countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Israel should have frozen those ties, shut down embassies, and withdrawn investments. The statement issued by the UAE—the pioneer of normalization—against Trump’s plan is utterly unreliable, given its history of supporting genocide over the past 15 months. Reports even indicate that the UAE is one of Trump’s tools for implementing his investment project. The only way for the UAE to lend credibility to its stance would be to announce the termination of the Abraham Accords and the severance of all ties with the Israeli entity. Anything less is mere deception and propaganda.

There are many pressure tactics available to regional governments at this critical moment, including coordinating stances among themselves and cooperating with nations that have bravely opposed Trump’s project. A weak response—similar to the tepid reaction to genocide over the past months—will only increase the pressure on affected governments and empower Trump’s leverage.

What is needed is not a declaration of war on the U.S. and Israel but the immediate implementation of practical measures to send a clear message: this project threatens the region’s stability and cannot be allowed to proceed. However, the responses thus far have fallen short. Instead of decisive action, statements of rejection were issued, and even worse, it was announced that the Jordanian king and Egyptian president would visit Washington next week at Trump’s request.

Would it not have been more appropriate for them to refuse the visit as a response to Trump’s insults? This visit is a waste of time and a grave political mistake. It will not compel Trump to change his stance. If anything, it might turn into a stage for humiliating them, as happened with Sisi and other leaders during Trump’s first term. They will gain nothing from this visit but viral videos circulating online, showing Trump gleefully demeaning them.

Trump’s confidence that Jordan and Sisi will comply with his project is not surprising. He knows their vulnerabilities; a mere signal or gesture is enough to ensure their obedience. These regimes depend on U.S. support for their survival under the equation of “aid in exchange for submission.” Yet, Washington’s policymakers have overlooked a crucial reality: in existential matters, the final word belongs to the people, not their rulers. Just as they thwarted the “Deal of the Century” and other schemes, they will defeat this forced displacement project as well.

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If regional governments truly wish to confront Trump’s plan, they must reassess how they engage with their own populations, who suffer from oppression, tyranny, and poverty. No state can be fortified against external threats without embracing freedoms and activating a democratic political life. Experience has shown that the U.S. and its allies exploit dictatorship to advance their agendas.

Nations that have opposed Trump’s project—especially the European Union, Britain, and Canada—must take real steps to reinforce Palestinian steadfastness and protection. Statements and condemnations have proven insufficient. The urgent priority now is to adopt bold, practical measures, such as halting arms exports to Israel, reassessing economic ties, and convening an international conference for Gaza’s relief and reconstruction.

And we must not be disheartened by such schemes. Many plans have been proposed before Trump’s, and all have failed because of the Palestinian people’s awareness and unwavering commitment to their land. They refuse to be exiled and displaced for a third time after the Nakbas of 1948 and 1967. Trump would be wise to abandon his project and apologize to the Palestinian people before the entire region erupts in his face—because the wars America has fought so far will seem like mere child’s play compared to the inferno he is igniting under the guise of “displacement for development.”

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.