Ignore Trump’s Gaza distraction. Focus on Iran

Published February 5, 2025 11:08am ET



Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with President Donald Trump, the first post-inaugural White House visit by a foreign leader, could shape the Middle East for generations. Pre-meeting speculation centered on how the leaders would handle the Hamas-Israel war.

Stunningly, Trump’s comments just before and then after his meeting with Netanyahu focused on the U.S. taking control of the Gaza Strip while Gaza’s residents are resettled elsewhere in the Middle East.  There is little point in commenting seriously on this “idea,” which appears to be entirely Trump’s own.

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