America’s scheme for Gaza contains much to regret

DONALD TRUMP’S first two weeks in the Oval Office have featured plenty of jaw-dropping moments. Even so, his proposal of an American “takeover” of Gaza on February 4th was extraordinary. He combined sinister ideas—ethnic cleansing and a lethal indifference towards Palestinians’ rights—with unorthodox improvisation over one of the world’s most intractable problems. In his first term Mr Trump brokered the Abraham accords between some Arab states and Israel, and in January he helped bring about the temporary ceasefire in Gaza that had eluded the Biden administration for a year. It is possible his latest intervention also shakes up the Middle East. The danger is it will embolden hardliners and deter America’s allies from supporting his efforts to promote stability.