“One of the immediate shockwaves from Trump’s explosive “US will ‘take over’ Gaza, ‘own’ it, develop it, then make it an ‘international’ area” statement was a nearly immediately publicized statement from Hamas Politburo member, Mousa Abu Marzouk stating in an interview with Russian press that the group is open to negotiations with the U.S. administration, almost signaling Hamas’s pragmatism in its understanding that the administration seeks to reshuffle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and with it the entire region. Despite it not being immediately clear when Mousa Abu Marzouk sat with the Russian outlet, it is clear Hamas was aware that Trump was working on “rewriting the map” of the Middle East’s conflict, especially after Arab leaders sat with representatives of the administration last week and after multiple calls from the U.S. President to resettle Gazans in other countries, either temporarily or permanently.
As the expected rhetoric rejections come in from states throughout the region, Europe and aid agencies, the missing voice seemingly is the people of Gaza themselves, who, over the past few weeks as they’ve returned to where their homes once stood, found total destruction and devastation. While international voices, presenting themselves as altruistic and standing in support of the symbolic Palestinian cause, they are in fact calling for the people of Gaza’s continued imprisonment in a land of total devastation. Many of Gaza’s people, faced with the truth of their circumstances, welcome a different pathway forward, be it under U.S. rule or in another country.
While public rhetoric rejecting Trump’s framework across the Middle East seems to follow the predictable public rejections, it is likely that many U.S. allies are seeing a dramatic shifting of the sands that isn’t unwelcome, further restricting Hamas and those that support it while setting the stage for regional stability. While it’s unlikely they will make public statements, I don’t believe Egypt, Jordan or Saudi Arabia will shed any tears over Trump’s statement.
Another interesting factor seems to be the seeming silence from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who has previously positioned himself as the unapologetic supporter of Gaza and Hamas. While Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan did make a statement rejecting Trump’s plan, given Erdoğan’s prior positions, it is surprising he did not make a statement of his own. This could be tied to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to Turkey, and Erdoğan’s hope to strike an accord with the U.S. Administration on Turkish influence and positioning in Syria moving forward, even at the expense of Gaza.
A looming question remains, specifically about the fate of the Hamas-held hostages that remain in Gaza. In all likelihood, Abu Marzouk’s statement of openness to negotiating with the US, even in the wake of a weeks-long campaign by the Trump administration to resettle Palestinians and on the heels of Trump suggesting the US takeover of the enclave, would seemingly indicate that Hamas understands that situational changes on the ground and that continuing to hold the hostages may become more burdensome than releasing them back to Israel, thus propelling the speed of the negotiations.“
Avi Melamed
Avi Melamed is a former Israeli intelligence official who went on to serve as deputy and then as senior Arab affairs adviser to Jerusalem Mayors Teddy Kollek and Ehud Olmert, operating as a negotiator during the first and second intifadas. He is the author of “Inside The Middle East | Entering A New Era,” and his latest docuseries, “The Seam Line,” available on the Izzy streaming platform, focuses on Jerusalem’s flashpoints and his work during the intifadas.
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