Spain currently hosts approximately 3,700 American troops at Rota and Moron but routinely bars those vital bases and its airspace whenever Washington and Jerusalem strike Iran. Italy similarly bottles up Sigonella the moment a combat sortie stops looking like basic logistics. Such diplomatic restrictions represent a host-nation veto on American power.
Yet Gaza answers this veto. This littoral strip — encompassing 360 square kilometers and a vital 40-kilometer coastline — provides the exact geographic remedy Washington requires. Israel already controls around 70% of this territory and has built 40 fortified outposts since the 2025 ceasefire. Meanwhile, the Board of Peace remains outside Gaza while Hamas retains a western red zone, and a mere 0.5% of the ruins there have been cleared. Consequently, the United States must transform this Levantine littoral and establish a permanent military flag that no European parliament can pull down.
