Global media coverage of U.S. President Donald Trump’s address before the Israeli Knesset focused on the familiar vocabulary of a new Middle East, peace, prosperity, and the renunciation of “violence and terrorism” — as if the war had ended and a horizon of peace had opened.
Trump declared that the occupation had achieved “total victory” in the war and urged its leaders to convert that “victory into lasting peace and prosperity in the Middle East.” He promised an approaching “golden age for Israel and the region,” claiming the area is now ready to unlock its vast potential, far from “extremism and violence.”
Yet between the lines, Trump also spoke of an “Israel that is stronger, bigger, and better.” His remarks contained no reference to Palestinian rights in land or history — only allusions to Arab-funded economic schemes.
“A Bigger Israel”
Addressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly, Trump said:
“I want to congratulate you for the courage to say all this. We have won. Now let’s enjoy our lives, rebuild Israel, and make it stronger, bigger, and better than ever.”
He added that “Israel has nothing left to achieve on the battlefield,” urging a transition “beyond war”:
“You achieved everything possible by force of arms… You have won. I mean, you have won. Now it’s time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the grand prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”
On the timing of a ceasefire, he remarked:
“The timing is wonderful… Bibi, you’ll be remembered for this far more than if you just kept going… killing, killing, killing.”
Trump further claimed that countries in the region “love Israel far more today than they did five weeks ago,” referring to Israeli operations then targeting Hamas leaders in Doha.
Not the First Time
Trump’s promises to make “Israel” larger in geographic scope are not new. They have been accompanied by pledges of money, weapons, and political cover to advance Israeli goals.
- Late 2018: Defending the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, Trump said Israel would remain safe: “We give Israel $4.5 billion a year… We’ll take good care of Israel,” adding that U.S. support, in truth, exceeds that figure.
- He stressed unwavering alignment: “We’ll always stand with Israel. I moved the embassy to Jerusalem — others promised and never did.”
- March 2019: Trump recognised Israeli “sovereignty” over the occupied Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967 — a dramatic step viewed as boosting Netanyahu’s re-election prospects. He denied the move was tied to Israeli elections, claiming he had long contemplated it.
- May 2024: On the campaign trail, Trump pledged to back Israel’s “right to win its war on terrorism,” styling this as “doing what is right.” He also targeted pro-Palestine campus protests, threatening deportation for foreign students accused of “bringing jihadism, anti-America, or anti-Semitism” to U.S. universities.
- January 2025: Trump promised to expand the Abraham Accords, leveraging a Gaza ceasefire (which later collapsed on 18 March 2025) to normalise ties with additional Arab states. He repeatedly warned of a “high price” if Israeli captives were not released before his inauguration, celebrating the return of U.S. and Israeli hostages.
On Truth Social he wrote that, as the agreement took effect, his national security team — through the Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff — would work closely with Israel and allies to ensure Gaza would never again become “a safe haven for terrorists.”
A “Small Country”
February 2025: Trump commented that “Israel” is “a very small country,” dodging a direct answer on whether he supports annexing parts of the West Bank. Gesturing with a pen in the Oval Office, he quipped:
“My desk is the Middle East and the tip of the pen is Israel… It’s a very small piece of land, no doubt.”
The following day, after meeting Netanyahu at the White House, Trump floated U.S. control over Gaza and hinted at permanent displacement of Palestinians from the Strip — a proposal widely condemned by Palestinians, Arab states, the United Nations, and human rights experts as tantamount to ethnic cleansing.
Within five days of taking office, he suggested Egypt and Jordan take in Palestinians from Gaza, implying openness to a long-term plan:
“I’d like Egypt to take refugees, and I’d like Jordan to take refugees… It’s literally a demolition site… I’d prefer to work with some Arab countries to build housing in a different location where Palestinians might live in peace, for a change. We’ll remove this whole thing.”
He reiterated these ideas on 27, 30, and 31 January, predicting both Egypt and Jordan would eventually agree — even as both publicly rejected the proposal.
On 4 February, after another meeting with Netanyahu, Trump again advanced the notion of permanent removal of Palestinians from Gaza, saying the enclave had been devastated by Israeli military action and that the humanitarian situation left residents with no choice but to leave. He told reporters:
“I think the people of Gaza deserve a good, modern, beautiful piece of land… I don’t know how they could want to stay [in Gaza].”
At a joint appearance with Netanyahu, he proposed direct U.S. control of Gaza to clear unexploded ordnance and other munitions, while asking neighbouring states with “humanitarian spirit” and “great wealth” to host Palestinians and fund reconstruction and housing for the displaced. When asked about deploying U.S. troops, he said: “We’ll do it if necessary.” Asked who would live in Gaza, he replied: “I imagine the people of the world live there… and Palestinians too.”
Days later on Fox News with Bret Baier, he was asked whether Palestinians would have a right of return under his plan. He answered:
“No, they won’t — because they’ll get much better housing. I’m talking about building permanent housing for them.”
On 11 February, the day he met Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Washington, Trump said:
“We will control Gaza. There’s nothing to buy. There’s nothing to purchase. It’s Gaza — a war-torn area. We’ll take it. We’ll keep it. We’ll cherish it.”
“Peace by Force”
During his Middle East trip for the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit, Trump was candid about U.S. arms transfers to the occupation, a policy scrutinised and protested during the war:
“We transferred weapons to Israel to use in Gaza. We make the best weapons in the world… and we provided a lot to Israel.”
While styling himself as someone “obsessed with stopping wars,” he conceded that some U.S. weapons are so powerful he “hates” them — yet, he said, “Israel received all the weapons it needs.” He even mocked Netanyahu’s repeated requests:
“Bibi kept calling me again and again: can you get me this weapon, that weapon? Some of them I hadn’t heard of, Bibi — and I made them. You used them well… to the point Israel became strong and capable — which ultimately led to peace. That’s what led to peace.”
Before the Knesset he framed Middle East peace as something implemented through power:
“We have weapons no one dreamed of. I hope we never have to use them… and many of these weapons we provided to Israel.”
For years, Trump has insisted “Israel” is geographically small — and that its area will grow. On 14 August 2025, Netanyahu publicly endorsed the vision of “Greater Israel” — a project rooted in Biblical-Talmudic claims, now weaponised for political-military expansion and sustained by his hard-right coalition. This posture echoes Netanyahu’s UN General Assembly address on 22 September 2023, where he displayed a map of “Israel” that included Gaza and the West Bank, provoking international shock and widespread Arab outrage.
Reading Between the Lines
Behind the rhetoric of prosperity and security lies a programme that normalises expansion, externalises the human cost to Arab states, and erases Palestinian national rights under the cover of “economic opportunity.” “Peace” is redefined as military dominance plus forced displacement, while Palestinian steadfastness is recast as “extremism.” For Muslims and fair-minded readers alike, the subtext is clear: this is not a roadmap to justice but an attempt to engineer consent for permanent dispossession — a project marketed as peace by force and a bigger, better Israel.
Donald Trump and Netanyahu are terrorists committing serious war crimes. The US government administrations and Israel administrations must be dismantled and destroyed. They are getting more toxic to the world stability.