US Occupation of Gaza Would Be a Foreign Policy Disaster

by Kenneth Schmidt

Kenneth Schmidt argues that US military intervention would end MAGA.

During a February 4th press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump announced that the US would occupy the Gaza Strip, level its ruins, and economically develop the place. Such a move in my mind would set the US up for a foreign policy and strategic disaster of immense proportions.

The US occupation of Gaza would cause an extreme reaction in most of the Muslim world. This would include both the Shia and Sunni elements. American-friendly governments in the Middle East, like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, under pressure from their citizenry, would get their backs up.

I admit it. I’m not a Zionist. I’m in favor of a two-state solution, but that’s not going to happen, at least anytime soon. I have always advocated for American neutrality in the Israeli/Arab/Persian conflict. The ownership of a tiny piece of land in the eastern Mediterranean is of absolutely no strategic importance to the United States. I’m a Christian, but not a follower of the 18-19th-century heresy of dispensationalism which holds that Christians are somehow obligated to help re-establish a Jewish state in Palestine. I am a supporter of Trump not because of but in spite of his Zionism.

What worries me about this Trump policy is that we are placing American boys in harm’s way, where they may be vulnerable to terrorist attacks. In 1983, President Reagan sent a large force of US marines to Beirut to support the Israelis and 241 of them were killed in a bombing there. Rather than add insult to injury, a chastened Reagan wisely withdrew the remaining troops after recognizing his error. He knew a tripwire when he saw it.

American troops will enter the Gaza Strip and then terrorist attacks will ensue, both against the soldiers on the ground and domestic US targets. The American public, which will be whipped up into a frenzy by the neocons, will demand war. The problem is the US can’t afford a war, so it will be financed by deficit spending. Any gains in government coffers made by the new tariffs and the cost-saving activities of Musk’s DOGE will be wiped out. This will cause a massive recession and with it the end of MAGA and the good things it’s doing. Trump will become a pathetic figure like Lyndon Johnson, who destroyed his own administration by engaging in a no-win war.

Trump made a good deal with Netanyahu in resolving the Gaza hostage situation. Regional stability in that part of the world helps the US in that it keeps us out of conflict, at least directly. Trump’s foreign policy can be described in four words: “America First - Except Israel.” The problem with Trump is that his current White House has too many hard-core Zionists in it. Some of these Zionists, like Stephen Miller, give him excellent advice on issues like immigration and trade, but will be inclined to give him bad counsel on the Middle East.

There is a tension in the MAGA movement between the America Firsters and the Zionists. I am convinced that eventually, over time, the America First element will gain the upper hand. Sadly though, for the time being, the Zionist element has tremendous power and influence. Since 2016, we are seeing a gradual shift toward a less interventionist foreign policy. The other day, Marco Rubio, the new secretary of state, did a long-form interview with Megyn Kelly. Rubio used to be a convinced neocon and warmonger, but he spent an hour talking eloquently about staying out of unnecessary conflicts and the realities of a multipolar world. Change is coming, but Trump needs to get with the program.