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HELSCRANDERS PERSSON, Political scientist at Linnaeus University with a focus on the Middle East conflict. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
US Donald Trump’s play about “taking over Gaza” and sending American soldiers to the area raises strong reactions.
“Nobody saw this coming,” says Anders Persson, political scientist at Linnaeus University with a focus on the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
At a joint press conference, US President Donald Trump, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “the United States will take over Gaza”.
– It is an astonishing and shocking statement. It is difficult to compare with something similar previous statement from an American president in the context of the Israel-Palestina conflict, says Anders Persson.
Trump did not exclude sending US soldiers to maintain the security of Gaza. His play, however, raises more questions than answers and the play can reflect several different purposes, says Anders Persson.
– Is this a rhetorical play that aims, for example, to help Netanyahu maintain its current coalition? Or is it the beginning of a new strategy from Trump’s point of view?
– If it is the beginning of a new strategy, then it raises all possible questions about how this should be implemented in practice, he says.