A lot of the 6 am hour of Wednesday’s version of CNN This Morning was dedicated to criticism and mockery of President Trump’s suggestion that the US might take possession of Gaza, changing the world into the Riviera of the Center East, whereas relocating its inhabitants.
However to her credit score, host Kasie Hunt did allot the hour’s remaining 10 minutes to a dialogue with Dan Senor, an professional on Israeli affairs and somebody, as Hunt described, who usually speaks with the principals concerned in negotiations.
Fairly than expressing unqualified help for Trump’s proposal, Senor explicated it in these phrases:
The Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, the West Financial institution, and most notably from Gaza, from which Israel unilaterally withdrew in 2005, has by no means labored. Invariably, the areas have been used to commit violence towards Israel, culminating within the bloodbath of October seventh, and Israel has been obliged to return in to the varied areas.
So, repeating the identical errors of the previous is just not an choice. Rebuilding Gaza whereas allowing Hamas to stay and try and exert management is a recipe for failure. Senor paraphrased Trump this manner:
“We preserve making an attempt to do the identical factor time and again and we preserve failing. So let’s strive one thing totally different.”
Having Israel occupy Gaza is just not a good suggestion, and one thing most Israelis themselves don’t need.
If Gaza is to be rebuilt, it would take a few years, and can’t be efficiently achieved with the two.5 million Palestinians remaining within the space.
Whether or not Trump’s plan is reasonable in all its features, Gaza, given its location on the Mediterranean, does have super potential.
Above all, Trump was placing on discover the leaders of different international locations within the area, notably Egypt, Jordan, and the Sunni Gulf states— if they do not like Trump’s proposal, they should get “inventive” on their very own.
Senor unequivocally disagreed with Trump’s suggestion that US troops might probably be despatched to Gaza, saying: “American army personnel shouldn’t be deployed in any capability.”
It was noteworthy that Hunt not often interrupted Senor’s remarks, didn’t truly push again on his takes, and was gracious in her interactions.
However that will not cease CNN from promptly reverting to kind and trashing Trump on his Gaza proposal and any variety of different issues!
This is the transcript.
CNN This Morning
2/5/25
6:50 am ETKASIE HUNT: Becoming a member of me now could be Dan Senor. He is the host of the Name Me Again podcast, former international coverage advisor to the Romney marketing campaign and, in fact, for anybody who would not know, clearly very concerned, usually talking to most of the principals who’re concerned in all these negotiations. Dan, thanks a lot for being on the present.
DAN SENOR: Hey, Kasie. Good to be with you.
HUNT: Dan, are you able to simply assist me perceive what we noticed on the White Home final evening, the president placing this on the market, and whether or not or not that is one thing that he is truly actually going to attempt to do?
SENOR: Look, um, I feel that Israel has tried each in southern Lebanon and Gaza and the West Financial institution over the past variety of many years to experiment with totally different approaches with getting out of those territories and letting native authorities successfully govern them, proper?
So within the Nineties, Israel steadily withdrew from the west Financial institution. Clearly, it nonetheless has a safety presence there, nevertheless it handed over governance to a lot of the West Financial institution, to what has change into the Palestinian Authority. In Might of 2000, Israel unilaterally withdrew from southern Lebanon. Hezbollah steadily, as we all know, as we have seen tragically lately, took over. And in 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza, hoping that the Palestinian Authority would have the ability to govern there.
In every of these three locations, Kasie, Israel has successfully had to return in, proper? Israeli troopers are dying in all of these areas Israel has withdrawn from.
We have seen what’s occurred in Lebanon lately. We have seen what’s occurred within the West Financial institution. Even at this second, there’s Israeli operations in components of the northern West Financial institution. And clearly, we noticed October seventh in Gaza and what has adopted.
We’re on a path proper now in Gaza to simply rinse and repeat to the identical outdated situation, which is to say, left to everybody’s personal units, left on the trajectory that issues at the moment are on, Hamas is, as Israel has throughout the ceasefire, has been pulling again, Hamas goes to try to reassert management. The worldwide neighborhood goes to assist rebuild Gaza with Hamas there.
So inform me precisely how that appears any totally different from what Israel and the Palestinian individuals bought between 2005 when Israel withdrew and October seventh of 2023. We’re on the same trajectory.
There are two choices. Let that occur, or have Israel reoccupy Gaza. Now, no one needs Israel to reoccupy Gaza, together with nearly all of Israelis.
So I feel what President Trump is doing is throwing out different concepts. Do I feel each element of what he laid out final evening goes to be what we truly see? Who is aware of? What he’s saying is, guys, I feel he stated to this impact with actual phrases, we preserve making an attempt to do the identical factor time and again and we preserve failing. So let’s strive one thing totally different.
. . .
I imply, I’ve heard, individuals round him, you recognize, Jared Kushner over within the final variety of years. And he stated he, I am not simply, you recognize, Jared Kushner has stated this stuff publicly —
HUNT: Yeah.
SENOR: — significantly when he was engaged on the Abraham Accords and different tasks, that it’s a disgrace. It is tragic that this territory sitting there within the Mediterranean. I have been to Gaza. I used to be struck by it after I was there. I frolicked within the Jabali refugee camp. And also you sit there considering, how has this place been left to rot by the native quote-unquote authorities, when it might have been developed into, you recognize, one thing way more hopeful for the Palestinian individuals.
So I feel the president is definitely, as he usually does, is imagining a fairly formidable imaginative and prescient for what Gaza might be.
So, at a minimal, you get everybody considering, and you are placing strain on everybody within the area to start out considering in a different way. Extra doubtless, he is considering this might be one thing that might be an amazing asset to the area and to america.
However so as to do any of it, it is going to take years and years of labor. And the truth is there’s two-and-a-half plus million Palestinians dwelling there. In the event you actually need to rebuild this place and you actually need to flip it round, it is going to require a ton of labor and a very long time. And it isn’t going to be doable whereas all these, whereas this whole inhabitants is there.HUNT: Is it reasonable that there can be American troops on the bottom in Gaza, from a political perspective right here within the U.S.?
SENOR: I’ve lengthy believed that the most effective place for the U.S.-Israel relationship, the bilateral relationship, the most effective place for Israel and the most effective relationship for america, is let Israel combat its wars, let Israel defend itself, let Israeli women and men in uniform do the combating.
It is within the U.S.’s curiosity to get Israel the instruments it wants for Israel to combat its wars, however American army personnel shouldn’t be deployed in any capability.
. . .
I feel the essential level from final evening is, the president put the area on discover. We’re not simply going to maintain doing the identical factor time and again. So if you happen to guys do not like my plan, you higher begin getting inventive, President Sisi in Egypt, King Abdullah in Jordan, the Sunni Gulf leaders. As a result of we’re simply not going to rebuild Gaza with Hamas again in cost and attempt to hope and pray and cross our fingers that we’re not going to get the identical factor we bought between 2005 and October seventh, 2023.
HUNT: All proper, Dan Senor, fascinating dialog. Thanks very a lot for becoming a member of us. Come again anytime.
SENOR: Thanks, Kasie.
HUNT: See you quickly.
SENOR: Nice.
