Trump’s Gaza plan is great. There’s just one big problem
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In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.
The very first step in President Donald Trump’s 20-step comprehensive, good-faith effort to bring peace to the Middle East is that “Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.”
That’s going to be a heavy lift. Because “deradicalizing” Gaza entails the Palestinian people abandoning their identity and transforming their culture, which has been defined by a mythical origin story and a self-destructive bloodlust against their neighbor. And yet step one is the only step that really matters.
TRUMP’S AMBITIOUS GAZA PEACE PLAN IS FRAUGHT WITH COMPLEXITY
Journalists and politicians love to lament the ancient nature of the confrontation between Palestinians and Israelis or Jews and Muslims in the Middle East. It’s always been lazy, ahistorical thinking. For one thing, Israel is at peace with most of the Arab world.