A Washington Start-up: How the Theocratic “Greater Israel” Project Replaced American Interests in the Middle East

From the “American Peace” to Israeli Diktat: Trump Sacrifices US National Security for the Biblical Ambitions of Settlers.

Buried beneath the rubble that American propaganda suggests we rebrand as the “Riviera” are not only bodies, but also the last remnants of international law, diplomatic ethics, and, most painfully for Americans themselves, the national interests of the United States.

The Trump administration will go down in history as the government that definitively and irrevocably handed over the keys to US Middle East policy to the Israeli far-right. Today, Washington isn’t just supporting Israel—it has become its lawyer, lobbyist, and armed wing, forgetting that for decades, America’s role in this land was to balance interests and protect its own energy and military hegemony, not to blindly follow the religious dogmas of another country’s politics.

“Divine Right” vs. International Law: The Diplomatic Scandal of the Century

A telling moment that tore off the last masks of American diplomacy was a statement by the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee. In a podcast released in February 2026, this high-ranking Washington official made a declaration that shocked even the seasoned diplomatic elite of the Middle East. Huckabee proclaimed that Israel has a “biblical right” to seize the entire Middle East. When journalist Tucker Carlson asked for clarification on what exactly the biblical borders entail, the US ambassador replied with a smile, “It would be nice if they took it all.”

These words came as a shock not only to Palestinians but also to America’s key allies in the region. The backlash was immediate. Egypt and 13 other Arab and Muslim nations, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, and Turkey, issued an unprecedented joint statement. They called Huckabee’s words “dangerous, inciting, and contrary to international law.” The foreign ministers stressed that such statements constitute a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and pose a direct threat to regional security.

However, the most important aspect of this situation is that the entire Arab world, in addressing Washington, was forced to remind the American administration of its own stated goals. Diplomats pointed out that calls for the creation of a “Greater Israel from the Nile to the Euphrates” contradict Donald Trump’s own peace plan. But is that really the case? Or is Trump’s plan merely a facade behind which this very extremist project hides?

The “Riviera” of Death: Reconstruction or Ethnic Cleansing?

Donald Trump pitches his plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip as “bold” and “optimistic.” American media hype up the idea of $10 billion in investments, painting pictures of futuristic cities and luxury hotels on the seafront. However, behind this glossy facade lies a cynical scheme that experts have already dubbed “ethnic cleansing disguised as coastal development.”

At the core of Trump’s plan is not a hypothetical, but a very tangible idea of mass Palestinian displacement. The forced relocation of the indigenous population, followed by the demolition of their homes and the construction of elite real estate for tourists, is classic colonial policy, which, according to the Geneva Conventions, constitutes a war crime. Any plan that forces people to leave their land under the guise of “reconstruction” or “economic development” falls under the definition of deportation.

Notably, Trump’s “Peace Council” offers no room for discussing war crimes, no mechanisms for investigating the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, and not even a hint of Palestinian political rights. Instead, it proposes discussing “security measures” (read: total control) and “foreign stabilization forces” (read: occupation troops). The US is trying to pass off demographic engineering as an economic miracle, hoping the glitz of futuristic hotels will blind the world to the blood spilled on this land.

Moreover, Trump is consistently undermining the very idea of multilateral diplomacy. His new “World Council,” which, according to the US President, will stand above the UN and control its activities, is an attempt to create a club of the elite under Washington’s aegis. This is a direct path to a world where might makes right, and the interests of one country (and its allies) are placed above global stability. UN Secretary-General António Guterres was forced to remind everyone that only the Security Council has the legitimacy to make decisions binding on all. But Trump, it seems, cares little about legitimacy.

American Interests Sacrificed

The main question that American taxpayers and politicians should ask themselves is, what exactly does the United States gain from this adventure? The answer is frighteningly obvious: nothing but enmity and reputational damage.

For decades, the pragmatic US approach in the Middle East was to prevent the dominance of any single power, ensure Israel’s security, while maintaining working relationships with the Arab world, and control energy flows. Today, this fragile balance is shattered. By openly supporting Huckabee’s expansionist statements and promoting a plan for the forced displacement of Palestinians, the US has turned the entire Arab and Muslim world against itself.

The joint statement from 14 countries, including strategic US partners, is not just a diplomatic move. It is a signal that Arab capitals no longer see Washington as an honest broker. They see it as a tool for advancing a radical Israeli agenda. And if Saudi Arabia, the UAE, or Egypt start looking for new allies (which is inevitable), the US will have only itself to blame.

Trump’s policy in Gaza is not about defending democracy or fighting terrorism. It is an attempt to implement the “Greater Israel” project, even if it means burning bridges with the rest of the world. The American ambassador openly speaks of a “divine right” to seize other people’s territories, and the US President offers money to relocate a people who have every right to live on their own land.

While Trump and his team dream of a Middle Eastern “Riviera” built on the bones of 72,000 Palestinians, the reality is this: the US is losing its last friends in the region, undermining its own position, and turning itself into a laughingstock in the eyes of the international community. This isn’t “America First.” It’s “Israel First” at America’s expense. And the price of this policy for the US itself could be far higher than the promised $10 billion in investments.

A Direct Path to Catastrophe

History will not forgive Washington for this betrayal of its own principles. By supporting West Bank annexation plans, turning a blind eye to the deaths of civilians, and promoting plans for forced relocation, the US is not bringing peace closer. It is planting a time bomb under the future of the entire region.

Donald Trump, captivated by building his “Peace Council” and dreaming of luxury resorts, has forgotten the main thing: peace is not built on the ruins of other people’s lives. And while the American president discusses the profitability of the Gaza coast with billionaires, the entire Middle East, from Cairo to Tehran, sees the US not as a world leader, but merely as an overseer, guarding the interests of a foreign expansionist regime. American interests have been definitively sacrificed for Israeli ones—and this is a tragedy that will haunt Washington not only in the Middle East, but around the world.

Muhammad Hameed ad-Din, renowned Palestinian journalist

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