Clearly, the announcement about transforming Gaza into a Middle Eastern riviera, after first displacing all its Palestinian residents, wasn’t just a random thought that popped into the president’s head at the moment of declaration – and the Israeli Prime Minister standing beside him was surely less surprised than he appeared.
The shock and awe strategy has entered a new phase. The more shocking a statement, the more it gets heard, broadcast, analysed and, eventually, perhaps normalised. That, at least, is the goal.
Following the idea of turning Gaza into a riviera came the dismantling of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
This international body had dared to challenge Netanyahu by issuing arrest warrants against him, Israel’s then-Defence Minister, and Hamas leader Mohammed Deif, who has since been killed.
Now, the American president has issued an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court, accusing it of illegal and unfounded actions against America and Israel, and abuse of power.
The order bars ICC leaders, staff and other employees, along with their close relatives, from entering the US. It also provides for freezing any assets these individuals might have under American jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, Trump’s alter ego, billionaire Elon Musk, bypassing both Congress and the State Department, is shutting down USAID, which provides humanitarian aid to countries in need, primarily in Africa and Southeast Asia, as well as in conflict zones.
Senior USAID officials have already been placed on leave, and as of Friday, all USAID staff worldwide were to be suspended.
This affects around 10,000 employees and programmes with budgets exceeding $40 billion, while the organisation’s closure puts millions of lives at risk. The answer to “why?” is simple: “America First, we don’t do charity”.
With the same reasoning – that all humanitarian organisations are stealing from America – came the announcement of America’s withdrawal from the World Health Organisation.
“The World Health Organisation was stealing from us; everyone steals from the US. Not anymore”, Trump emphasised while signing the withdrawal order. Argentina followed suit, citing WHO’s handling of Covid as justification.
While all of this sounds outrageous, especially the decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, these moves are gradually gaining more supporters.
Everything established after World War II to prevent similar tragedies is being dismantled – to applause.