We saw last week how Trump’s thinking “outside-the-box” could transform the beleaguered Gaza Strip into what he likened to a “Riviera in the Middle East.” A bustling tourist hub – inhabited by “people of the world” – would be a much preferred replacement for the murderous Hamas terrorists and constant strife that have plagued Gaza for decades. A prosperous neighboring region, devoid of terrorists, would undoubtedly bring much-deserved security to the Jewish state.
In an interview with Fox News host Mark Levin (“Life, Liberty and Levin”), which took place at the end of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s historic week-long diplomacy trip to the US, Netanyahu readily welcomed the president’s proposal for resolving the Gazan debacle. Calling it “the first fresh idea in years…a novel and correct approach” that should not be taken lightly, Netanyahu explained that Gazans who are completely de-radicalized and “disavow terrorism,” would certainly be welcomed back to the rebuilt enclave after their temporary relocation while the Strip is undergoing massive reconstruction. Trum p said that he does not expect them to return.
Contemplating Trump’s plans for transforming Gaza brought enormous relief to the Jewish state and to Jews around the world, but what may have been overlooked, and equally crucial to the stabilization of the Middle East, is how the praiseworthy Trump-Israel partnership has resulted in a bright economic reset for Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, and other countries as well.
To begin with, Trump’s brokering of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire, even before he was inaugurated for his second term, prompted a rally in State of Israel bonds. With the architecting of the ceasefire, though admittedly fragile, S&P – one of the three major bond credit rating agencies – has recently indicated an imminent credit upgrade to the State of Israel bonds, removing the negative credit outlook they had assigned to them last fall. What this means is that investors will once again pour money into the Jewish state, knowing that their investment is safeguarded by the more sanguine forecast for Israel’s economic growth and prosperity.
Next, Trump’s extending the ceasefire deal with Lebanon to enable Israel to stay in a little longer in order to suppress the militant groups that have resisted the Lebanese army, augurs well for Lebanon’s economic forecast. A country hitherto mired in default-stricken bonds has witnessed a remarkable surge in the price of their bonds which continue to rise incrementally because Israel has disempowered and weakened Hezbollah, the militant group that had been strangulating and suffocating Lebanon for years. Netanyahu’s bequeath of the iconic memento of the “gold pager” to the president last week, a symbol of Israel’s tour-de-force defeat of Hezbollah – a formidable enemy to both the Jewish state and to the US – signified Israel’s success in weakening a matrix of power that had been draining the country, just as a parasite depletes the vitality of its host.
Similarly, Egypt is a likely beneficiary of the Israel-Trump dyad. The president’s understanding of how imperative it is for Israel to have sufficient arsenal at its disposal – and consequently invoking his executive privileges to circumvent Biden's halt and the lassitude of congress in approving arms sales to the Jewish state – is crucial to its multi-front war.
In particular, Israel’s efforts to counter the attacks of Yemen’s Houthi fighters on ships in the Red Sea will enable Egypt to freely use the Suez Canal for cargo transport which is absolutely crucial to the Egyptian economy. In fact, in the last year alone, shippers who diverted around Africa rather than risk ambush by Houthis in the Suez Canal cost Egypt $7B – which is more than 60% of its Suez Canal revenues. Given that cargo transport is a mainstay for its economy, Egypt benefits from Israel’s continued strikes on the insurgent Houthis. And Trump certainly has proven that he understands the need to assist the Jewish state in continuing their efforts to create equanimity and balance in that troubled region.
Lastly, when Trump stressed at his joint press conference with Netanyahu last week that his plans to take over Gaza and make it into an idyllic spot along the Mediterranean will “create thousands of jobs,” he may have had Turkey in mind, along with the other beneficiaries of this major reconstruction plan. Turkey’s heavyweight construction firms, presently losing money, will benefit greatly in the massive rebuilding of the Gaza Strip because it will create the need for construction jobs. Though Turkey’s relationship with the Jewish state has suffered from the stress of the Israel-Hamas war, a quick boost to their construction industry and a healthy profit margin, will understandably revive the once friendly relationship that had been interrupted by the Israel-Hamas conflict. Trump’s forward-looking Gaza plans most certainly augur well for renewed relations between Turkey and Israel.
When Trump unveiled his shockingly unorthodox plans last week for US takeover of Gaza in order to turn this debacle into a treasured spot along the Mediterranean, everyone was left nonplussed. But as I look at these plans within the larger picture of Trump’s standing firmly with Israel in their committed and unrelenting efforts to vanquish the axis of resistance and bring stability to the Middle East, I see numerous neighboring countries becoming beneficiaries of the Trump-Israel alliance, which is presently centered on Gaza.
A bright economic reset lies on the horizon.
Trump and Israel have partnered successfully since his first term in office, which has undoubtedly inured to the benefit of the Jewish state. With his bright plans for his second term, he’s already set the wheels in motion though he’s only in office for several weeks. Most certainly, this is a sign of an exceptional partnership between two willing parties that have the same vision for peace, prosperity, and stability. Both are willing to think creatively and are not deterred by naysayers. Gaza will be made into a prosperous waterfront haven in the Middle East, possibly akin to Singapore, and the neighboring countries will be made vital and strong as well.
Amy Neustein, Ph.D., a sociologist, and author/editor of 16 academic books. Her most recent publication, “From Madness to Mutiny: Why Mothers are Running from the Family Courts,” is June 2025, Oxford University Press. She is the co-editor of “Forensic Speaker Recognition: Law Enforcement and Counter-Terrorism” (Springer 2011). The book is used to train FBI agents across the United States. She resides in Fort Lee, NJ.
