Those who thought President Donald Trump could not be any worse than President Joe Biden on the Gaza issue had a rude awakening yesterday after his surreal press conference at the White House with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The two leaders smiled at each other as they casually discussed plans for ethnically cleansing the Palestinian territory, which has been razed with the loss of at least 46,000 lives since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023.
Former real estate developer Trump referred to Gaza as the potential ‘Riviera of the Middle East’. And where will the two million Gazans go? Refugee camps in neighbouring countries, apparently, regardless of what those countries have to say about it. Some might be able to return, if they can afford it.
According to Trump, ‘The only reason the Palestinians want to go back to Gaza is they have no alternative. It’s right now a demolition site.’
He went on to say, ‘The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area. Do a real job, do something different.
‘Saudi Arabia is going to be very helpful, and they have been very helpful. They want peace in the Middle East. It’s very simple. We know their leader and their leaders very well. They’re wonderful people, and they want peace in the Middle East.
‘As far as Gaza is concerned, we’ll do what is necessary,’ he said. ‘If it’s necessary, we’ll do that. We’re going to take over that piece, and we’re going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs, and it will be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of.’
Greatest friend
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under investigation in his own country for multiple corruption charges, responded by saying, ‘You are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.’
In response to a journalist’s question about ownership of another people’s sovereign territory, President Trump said, ‘Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land… I’ve studied this very closely over a lot of months.’
Late last year, the UN General Assembly voted 124-14 in favour of a Palestinian resolution demanding Israel end its ‘unlawful presence’ in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank within a year.
The United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestian territories, Francesca Albanese said this morning that Trump’s Gaza proposal is ‘utterly unlawful’.
Some Republican allies within the USA have also expressed dismay at the idea. ‘I thought we voted for America first,’ said Republican Senator Rand Paul. ‘We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers blood.’
Trump’s latest press conference came against the backdrop of his unelected ‘best buddy’ and the world’s richest man Elon Musk’s ongoing dismantling of the American public service.
There is a growing group of protesters rallying outside the treasury department in Washington to protest the illegal takeover of the federal payments system, following the unlawful destruction of the Unites States Agency for International Development. Thousands more protesters are outside the US Department of Labor, where the rights of workers are currently being shredded.
As American humanitarian support across the globe is shuttered without the approval of Congress, Washington is currently preparing to provide a new package of weapons and military equipment to Israel valued at $1 billion, as reported by the Wall Street Journal and The Times of Israel. This includes thousands of large bombs and armoured bulldozers.
Australia’s opposition leader Peter Dutton responded to Trump’s latest Gaza proposals by describing the American president as a ‘big thinker’.
And how is Labor responding? We should all be calling our politicians and demanding to know what they’re doing to protect law and democratic principles and rights at this time. Are they actively building coalitions with other democratic nations to stand up to this BS? What about AUKUS- do we want Australian soldiers in Gaza? Do we want Australian business interests in Gaza? Do we want US bases in Australia holding us for fuckig ransom?
I think the government is taking a balanced and intelligent position between the extreme noalition position( it’s all labor’s fault) to the greens political party position- it’s all labor’s fault!
Albanese living up to his “weakest prime minister in decades” rating.
At least there is one ‘Albanese’ willing to call out Trump’s nonsense – take a bow Francesca Albanese and please have a word with Anthony, he needs some tuition.
The middle east doesn’t come across as a peaceful place, constant tribal wars with each other, lack of true democracy (resonates with us a bit these days), backwards idealogies regarding women.. so much violence… it needs help. Of course genocide, murder, unforgiveness.. and completely wiping out a nation of people… there are no strong enough words to respond to these crimes.. none of these things are the answer. These aren’t helpful. We all know that. They will surely pay one day, just like Fauci will pay for his crimes against humanity. It all seems scripted af and was surely a plan long before the mighty oompa loompa overlord took to his throne. If Hamas was truly to blame, then they really have kicked the ants nest. But that was probably forged too. ..the art of war continues… The ET’s are arriving in perfect time. I wonder if once we know more truths about life in other parts of the universe, will it change our behaviour here on earth?
Really? How long have you lived in ME? Worked ? Visited ? And re Fauci : saved as much as he could FYI. You obviously adhere to QAnon conspiracy theories and antivaxxers antiscience disinformation spread by Russian farm trolls and JFKennedi jr..or wait JFK junior just stated he is not antivaccines and his kids are vaccinated! Go figure he found science!
lol
I have a sneaking suspicion this comment of yours wont age well. Lets get back to it in 12 months shall we, and see how you went
Well as George C Marshall, commander in chief all USA forces WW2, responsible for the Marshall plan to rebuild Europe and Japan after WW2, and then as Chief of staff to USA President Truman said, when he voted against allowing Israel to be set up in Palestine. “It will never work, they will be fighting each other still in another 60 years time. That was in 1948 and as you can see now 77 years later, Marshall was 100% correct, Israel should never of been allowed into Palestine. That is the problem and its Netanyahu and those other extremist supporting him that are the trouble, many in Israeli’s hate Netanyahu just as much as everyone else in the world!
Yes… without glasses on it would seem a bit shifty… But hey, weren’t the Jews from Jerusalem? Lets put our glasses on and take a big look back, all the way back thousands of years ago… Sometimes wars begin before your scope of understanding. What goes on over thousands of years must be hard to keep track of. I guess if you have a big enough scope we can see that peace and kindness are the only way forward. That, in this situation seems sadly impossible.
Why is most of the press referring to Dutton as an apostle/fan of Trump? So many articles finish with a reference to his opinion/stance.
Well perhaps Dutton should stop talking up Trump. And also stop most of his shadow ministers continually referring to how good they all think Trump is. Michaela Cash has been doing so daily, if somehow or other you haven’t noticed yet? She was droning on and on, the local radio station this morning. Its actually frightening, but Cash has always frightened any thinking Australian forbears now, hasn’t she?
Well he did think it was a good idea from somebody who is a deep thinker for peace( sic).
Yeah ! A piece of Greenland, a piece of the Gulf of Mexico, a piece of Israel waterfront ( Gaza ) and a piece of the Panama Canal and Trump knows he has Australia, while Israel dictates our laws.
What a slimy disgusting World where we do nothing and watch the most monstrous atrocities in history, with our government singing their praises and selling them weapons.
He’s right about doing the same thing and getting the same result, peace would be nice. If I had children, I would want a safe place to live, he’s effectively cut off Netanyahu once and for all, he could have done something and never did. This will be very interesting to see long term. Whether you love or hate Trump, he doesn’t like war, he’s cut off money laundering via USAID because that’s exactly what it is, hopefully the Ukraine war will end, the Middle East will be at peace. We can only fervently hope he can, a peaceful planet is a prosperous one. I feel a lot that has been hidden will finally become transparent and a return to freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and just common sense will come back.
And we’ll all join hands and fly home to Cloud Cuckoo Land.
For god’s sake sober up. G”)
More likely the opposite Salty
War, multiple deaths in the absence of USAID. secrecy not transparency, restriction on any speech or thought which is anti-Trump or Musk and common sense left the building in November election. You are right though re freedom of thought. In Auschwitz the victims sang “Die gedenken sind frei “( the thoughts are free).
where’s the ‘like’ button. some of these commentors are not reading the news. or maybe they’re only reading msm. pity
“Remember the idiots that voted for Trump because Biden wasn’t doing enough to help Gaza”.
Albanese is not going to get involved in this nonsense because the corrupted LNP/Media, would just love to drown the media narrative in another flood of LNPee distractions and stop Albanese and Labor getting any real air time in our media actually talking about real planed policies for now and into the future. Just remember Duttons got zero policies on anything. Only obstruction and culture war distractions like this and Duttons in lock step with this criminal Trump. Which should be a red flag to every thinking Australian.
Where is the human heart ? Is there one?
See that slab of broken concrete over there? Well, just look down from that – over on the lefthand side. See it? Next to the fluffy toy.
If only some over whelming force would come in, stop the killing, and build the place up until it could operate as an independent state, or even a US Sate, with all the rights and privileges that come with that citizenship. But the Israelis would never allow it. Unless Benji pissed off Trump and…
Trump a big thinker, and Dutton a little $tinker.
Agent Orange on the rampage all over the joint, Gulf of Mexico renaming, Ukraine, Canada, Greenland and now Gaza added to his laundry list of Making The World Great Again.
We shouldn’t have to wait too much longer for us / Australia to be on Trumpelstiltskin’s list.
Take Trump with a bit of “salt”: he threatened to take Canada, Panama , Greenland , now Gaza ! Good luck with that! Dutton on other hand is such a sycophant stating “Trump is a big thinker” ..cant believe people are still supporting him ! No policies ,his nuclear option is not viable , only doing work for Gina Reinhardt re drill baby drill and let’s mine and sell everything without investing in manufacturing! Let’s repeat the WA gas situation making Chevron billions each year( especially with Russia out of the supply chain) paying meagre royalties ( not like Norway and Gulf states taking 78% ,having trillions in future generations funds)and give those oligarchs all Australia riches !
Or you could just read his book “The Art of the Deal”, and you would know exactly what he is doing, and how effective it is.
It would also help if people remembered that he is President of America, not the world. It is not his job to make things better for you, dear foreigner. Albo is all you get. So don’t complain that Trump isn’t doing anything for you, or is working against your interests. He doesn’t work for you.
Don’t worry Dutton can be just as ridiculous as Trump anytime, anywhere. “Take a look at the ridiculous Dutton free lunch for fat cats policy”! Just do the math. There are 2.6 million registered businesses in Australia, if they all claimed $20,000 each on Duttons free lunches, it would cost all of you, the taxpayers $52 billion. Even if just 10% of them did so, it would still cost $5.2 billion. As my accountant says, while there are these crazy LNP legislated loop holes allowed, we will take full advantage of every one, for ever dollar permissible? Dutton should be removed by his party for even just thinking about this ridiculous nonsense as any kind of policy. “What was that about cost of living crises again”?
Small correction: “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under investigation in his own country for multiple corruption charges and is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, responded by saying,”…
I have an old friend who now lives in London but who came to live in Mullum for many years when China took over Hong Kong. He is now working in the big London financial world. He told me that all the big money whizz fund managers etc call Australia —“Treasure Island”. Can anyone work out why?
Trump is a Real Estate guy. What did youse all expect?
Israel thinks God is their real estate agent.
I think you will find this is a Trump tactic. If he sent troops in, he would lose half of his base, and mid-terms are coming up.
Gaza is Israel’s territory, and has been since around 1978 when Egypt and Israel settled their dispute in favour of peace (it was Egypt’s territory before that).
There is no nation “Palestine”. Palestine is an ethnicity, not a territory.
If Israel wants to give Gaza to USA they can, just like France did with the Midwest.
Any sensible debate about the Gazan people (current residents) and their future needs to recognise this
I don’t think Trump was implying Israel would give him Gaza. What he said would obviously end up with America taking all of Israel as well. It’s like what he said to Canada about the US having to fund them i.e. If we are paying for it, we own it. Israel can’t exist without extensive yearly funding from the US. Step one in negotiation is to make the opposition think you are unreasonable and dangerous, so they have to negotiate you down to a lesser position. This tactic maximises the final outcome for your side. Trump is being scary sounding to get Israel and Hamas to sort it quickly “in case the mad man goes craaaaaaazy!!!”
Your opinion is idiotic,
Israel is an invading enemy force and doesn’t own anything there.
By committing the genocide there , it has no right to exist.
Israel is a terrorist organisation and Netanyahu is a recognised war criminal.
Trump and that monster have now colluded to out-law the ICC, in a vain attempt to avoid prosecution but if there is still any decency in the World, they will be before the Hague war-crimes tribunal, sharing the stand with Anthony Albanese.
Cheers, G”)
Palestinian billionaire, has generously offered to rebuild Malibu after the fires destroyed it and turn it into the Riviera of Nth America, those displaced Americans can all move to Mexico and have a great new life?
https://theshovel.com.au/2025/02/07/palestinian-man-offers-to-take-over-fire-ravaged-hellscape-malibu/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=palestinian_man_generously_offers_to_take_over_and_redevelop_fire_ravaged_hellscape_of_la_s_malibu_district&utm_term=2025-02-07
I have been told by someone form that area that the problems started with the movement of europeans into the newly created state of Israel. Before then everyone got on just fine. Don’t know if its true but maybe they should return whence they came and everything will settle.
Who knows?
Actually thats very much like the quote from Madeline Albright, Bill Clintons chief of Staff. “All of these people that have moved to Israel should all just go back home to where they come from and leave the Palestinians in peace”.
Not Europeans – people that got kicked out of Europe – over and over again for a thousand years. Something to ponder.
Everybody is missing the whole point here.
Back in the sixties, Israel hatched a plan to build an alternative to The Suez Canal.
It was to be The Ben Gurion Canal and would run into Gaza.
( This is not FAKE NEWS., look it up for yourself.)
It would be a “viable alternative”, or so they said, to the Suez Canal.
One problem, there are houses and people in the way.
If you want to build any structure and there are houses or trees in the way, what do any “Developers”? do?………..THEY FLATTEN EVERYTHING and start from scratch.
Read what I just said and think about what Israel and America have just done…….its not rocket science.