Donald Trump’s property-mogul instincts returned with a vengeance this week (writes Christopher Cermak). His pledge for the US to take control of Gaza and turn it into the “riviera of the Middle East” – without a place for the Palestinians who live there – was swiftly rejected by Arab nations. Elements of the Israeli right, however, welcomed the plan.

Pressure point: Trump hosts Netanyahu (pictured on right) at the White House

“Trump is using Israeli right-wing party Likud’s old tactic of applying the maximum amount of pressure on Palestinians in order to seek concessions,” Atef Alshaer, a Gaza-born senior lecturer in Arabic language and culture at the University of Westminster, tells The Monocle Minute. The question is whether Egypt and Jordan, the two nations that would have to take in Palestinians from Gaza under Trump’s plan, can build “coalitions of regional and international partners” powerful enough to withstand the US pressure, says Alshaer. After all, Trump understands the art of the deal: if the opposition to his proposed takeover is big enough, he’ll be willing to consider alternatives.

For more reaction from Egypt and Jordan, tune in to Thursday’s edition of ‘The Globalist’ on Monocle Radio.

This story originally appeared in The Monocle Minute

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