Trump’s Upcoming Mideast Trip Considered Crucial as Israel Readies Plan for Takeover of Gaza

The month of May could go a long way in determining the shape of the Mideast, as Israel plans significant military moves in Gaza, Yemen, and Iran — but not before President Trump ends the first trip abroad of his second term, which next week will bring him to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, and could work to alter Jerusalem’s plans. The Israel Defense Force on Monday evening struck targets in Yemen in retaliation for a Houthi ballistic missile that exploded near the Tel Aviv airport on Saturday. Will Israel also attack the Houthi backers in Iran? Closer to home, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s cabinet decided Monday morning to alter the Gaza war strategy significantly and occupy large swaths of the Strip. The IDF will not start the Gaza operation, dubbed Gideon’s Chariots, before Mr. Trump leaves the region. Also, “there isn’t much we can do on Iran before we develop clear understandings with Trump,” an Iran watcher at Israel’s Misgav Institute, Yossi Mansharof, tells the Sun.“This month will be critical for the future of the region,” Mr. Mansharof adds. Yet, “Israel’s moves will depend on coordination with Trump, and also the Saudis and other Gulf states.”Israel struck the Yemeni port city of Hudeida on Monday, retaliating against the weekend Houthi missile attack that evaded Israeli and American defenses and hit the country’s top gateway to the world. Mr. Netanayhu said Israel will also retaliate against the ultimate responsible party, the Islamic Republic.While a series of mysterious recent explosions across Iran have crippled power plants and military installations, Israel is not expected to move militarily in any overt way against nuclear installations as long as Mr. Trump is attempting to resolve the crisis diplomatically. Arab countries are pressuring the American president to lean on Israel to forgo kinetic action. When it comes to Iran and the Houthis, “the Saudis are emerging as the weakest link,” Mr. Mansharof says.Arab countries, meanwhile, are developing plans for Gaza that are diametrically opposed to Jerusalem’s efforts to rid the Strip of Hamas, and to end the threat it poses to Israel. The new Israeli plans are being widely criticized across the world even before they are implemented — or even fully understood. Monday morning’s dramatic cabinet decision to permanently take over parts of Gaza was the subject of top headlines around the globe. Yet, even as the IDF drafts tens of thousands of reservists to launch the operation, the government announced it will only begin in earnest after Mr. Trump’s tour of the Gulf states ends on May 15. The new Gaza strategy was developed by a military team headed by the new IDF chief of staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, Mr. Netanayhu said. It will finally defeat Hamas “and will also help us release the hostages,” he asserted. Rather than clearing areas of Gaza and then leaving, he said, the IDF will remain in them to ensure Hamas does not return. The cabinet’s decision explicitly cited the president’s Gulf visit as a deadline. By then, Hamas must release a significant number of hostages according to a plan developed by Mr. Trump’s special envoy, Steven Witkoff, or else Operation Gideon’s Chariots will be launched, the IDF will destroy and flatten areas of Gaza, and troops will stay there indefinitely. Defeating Hamas and releasing hostages “go hand in hand,” the IDF spokesman, Brigadier General Effie Defrin, told reporters Monday. Hamas, he said, is hurting Gazans, bringing ruin to the Strip, and starving residents by confiscating international aid. To protect Gazans, he said, “we will mobilize most of the Strip’s population and move it to an area that will be Hamas-free.”In these “sterilic” areas in southern Gaza, non-combatants will be able to receive food, medicine, and other necessities. While the IDF will be deployed in the parameters, the distribution of aid will be contracted to private American companies. Israel has blocked aid to Gaza for more than three weeks, leading to world-wide condemnation. “We’re going to help the people of Gaza get some food,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House Monday. “Hamas is making it impossible because they’re taking everything that’s brought in,” he added. Gazans are “being treated very badly by Hamas.”The United Nations, which had coordinated aid distribution before Israel ended its delivery to prevent Hamas from confiscating it, is opposed to the new Israeli plan, claiming it violates international law.Secretary-General Guterres “made clear that we will not participate in any scheme that does not adhere to the global humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality,” his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters Monday. UN affiliates in Gaza “have unanimously affirmed this position,” he added. Arabs, Europeans, and others agree. In contrast, Mr. Trump has to date given Israel free hand to act in Gaza — as he also did in Syria, Lebanon, and perhaps in clandestine Iran operations. Israelis, though, are concerned that the Gulf visit might change Washington’s strategies.

Trump’s Upcoming Mideast Trip Considered Crucial as Israel Readies Plan for Takeover of Gaza

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