Robert Patman: Otago University Professor for International Relations on the implications of Donald Trump's plan for Gaza

Donald Trump's suggestion he could take over Gaza casts a shadow on hopes for a two-state solution. 

The President said today Palestinians could be resettled and the US could redevelop the territory.

Israel's Prime Minister says the idea is worth paying attention to. 

Otago University politics professor Robert Patman says one problem is the lack of any clarity on Benjamin Netanyahu's end goal.

"It doesn't seem like Mr Trump is actually applying too much thinking about how tensions in the region can be resolved - as opposed to transplanting them elsewhere."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, just gone nine minutes after five Bryan Bridge.
Trump says the US will take over Gaza, move Palestinians out,
and develop the land. He spoke after meeting with Benjamin
nittin Yahu at the White House a few hours ago.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we
will do a job with it too. We'll own it,
get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create
an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs
and housing for the people of the area.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
Robert Patman's with me this evening. I tag a UNI
International Relations Robert.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
Good evening, Oh, good evening. Right.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
You taking this seriously, Well, you have to.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
Take it seriously in the sense that mister Trump represents
the most powerful office in the world and the most
powerful country, and even by his eye opening steps, it's
a very shocking statement and a clean break with previous
American policy towards the Middle East region and particular towards

(01:00):
the Israeli Palestinian conflicts since the Oslo Cords of the
early nineties. So you know, it's difficult at the moment
to be optimistic about the impact of such a statement.

Speaker 1 (01:12):
He's saying that they because it's about at one point
eight million Palestinians currently in Gaza. He's saying, Oh, we
could just move them to neighboring countries, but the neighboring
countries don't want.

Speaker 3 (01:21):
Them, and then he says, oh, but they will after
I've spoken to them. But that's not the point. The
point is what gives America the authority to forcibly displace
people living in a territory when they've lived there for
some time. And it's an arbitrary act in many respects,

(01:43):
and it seems to be a further step away from
achieving a solution which America and New Zealand have both
stood for, which is a two state solution. So yeah,
it's a worrying development and it's going to do nothing
to ease the negotiations the second phase of the agreed
cease fire, which is just coming up for discussion between

(02:05):
Israel and Hamas. So it's it's likely to escalate rather
than diminished tension.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
Well, I wonder, yeah, because that second phase that you're
talking about, and you've got Israel saying we're not going
to agree to the second phase unless the leaders of
Hamas agree to leave Gaza. They're not going to do that,
are they So we're basically going back to war.

Speaker 3 (02:27):
No, I mean they're not going to do that. And
mister Nisa who please notice what is missing from mister
Netanya Who's narrative and that is any desire to address
the issue of the Palestinian desire for self determination for
twenty five years, Mister Nathana who has adopted a position

(02:49):
which is directly odds with the position of his major backer,
the United States, which does one of two states solutions.
Mister Nieh who you know, following that horrendous Amaso terrorist attack,
has never identified what he sees as the end goal
of the air and ground offensive that's occurred during the

(03:10):
last fifteen months. So you know that issue is at
the root of the problem. And it doesn't seem like
mister Trump is actually apploying too much thinking about how
can tensions in the region be resolved as opposed to
be transplanting them elsewhere.

Speaker 1 (03:32):
Robert Petman, thank you very much for your time. I'd
tag in I visit the International Relations for more from
hither Duplessy Allen Drive listen live to news talks.

Speaker 3 (03:40):
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