14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 20-26, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com War of Words The fragile ceasefire in Gaza must be maintained despite President Trump’s distractions. By James J. Zogby FORUM My initial response to President Donald Trump’s proposals for Gaza was to dismiss them as bizarre, detached from reality, dangerously provocative, illegal and callously insensitive to Palestinian humanity. His proposals are, in fact, all of the above. But it would be wise to assume there may be a method to the madness. Not unlike Trump’s “shock and awe” executive order blitz that had his opponents and the media scrambling to understand his intentions, the same logic may be at work with his Gaza remarks (suggesting the U.S. taking control of the territory, forcing Palestinians out to develop a “riviera”). The logic has two essential components. The first is to disorient and demoralize his opponents. The second is to distract them, like a carnival hustler’s shell game, so we take our eyes off the real issues in front of us and focus instead on the illusion being created. I do not believe for a minute that Trump intends to send U.S. troops to take over Gaza to forcibly expel 1.5 million Palestinians. Nor will he be able to coerce Jordan and Egypt to receive and permanently resettle these expelled Palestinians, nor entice Saudi Arabia to pay to build Palestinians a “big new beautiful place.” All these ideas are so far-fetched and dangerous that it is inconceivable that this president, who says he wants to keep America out of war and bring peace to the Middle East, will try any or all of them. Trump may want to turn the page with the distractions of a bizarre plan for Gaza. But instead of taking the bait, we should continue to focus on what is real. What I am saying is that instead of spending endless hours attempting to parse out his words or critique his plan or prepare for its implementation (which is exactly what he wants us to do), we should avoid the distraction and focus on the urgency of matters in front of us. The fragile ceasefire in Gaza must be maintained and the parties must move into its next phases. That means continuing to press for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and plans to begin reconstruction. It means directing our attention and action to stopping Israel’s escalation of oppressive violence on the West Bank. And it means maintaining focus on the need to hold Israel and the U.S. culpable for the war crimes of the past 15 months. Neither Trump nor Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants us to act on any of these pressing matters. They want to further demoralize Palestinians while causing turmoil in Arab countries. They want the clock to run down on phase one of the ceasefire plan. This would allow Netanyahu to resume his war to achieve what he calls “total victory” in Gaza. It would also ensure that he maintains his governing coalition and remains in office. In other words, instead of addressing real problems crying for attention, Trump wants us to fall for his game by debating an illusory distraction while the Israelis pursue a deadly game. Dr. James J. Zogby is president of the Washington-based Arab American Institute. This story first appeared in The Arab Weekly. OPINION I do not believe Trump intends to take over Gaza. ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES Stop By To Shop And Find Your Vintage Treasure OVER 100 DEALERS 21,000 SQUARE FEET The Largest Antiques and Collectibles Mall on the Central Coast 471 WAVE STREET MONTEREY (831) 655-0264 P M canneryrowantiquemall.com Open Daily 11am-6pm ’24 Voted Monterey County's Best Antique Shop ♦ 3 Card Poker ♠ Century 21st No Bust Black Jack ♣ Texas Hold’em ♥ Baccarat FULL BAR! BLACKJACK BONUS POINTS PAYS UP TO $20,000 SMALL TOWN BIG PAYOUTS! 1-800-Gambler • Gega-003846, Gega-Gega-003703, Gega-000889 Gega-000891 Gega-002838 The Marina Club Casino ensures the safety and security of all guests and team members at all times, while providing exceptional service. 204 Carmel Ave. Marina 831-384-0925 casinomonterey.com ♠ ♣ ♥ ♦ Just minutes from Downtown Monterey Where Monterey Comes To Play
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