As the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza deepens in mid-2025, Israel’s military machine relentlessly pounds the besieged enclave, fueling global scrutiny of the murky, controversial relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump. Their interactions oscillate between fiery public exchanges, contradictory diplomatic rhetoric, and synchronized actions—all sustaining one grim reality: ongoing Palestinian bloodshed under blatant American political and military protection.
The increasingly urgent question circulating across Arab and international streets is this: Are Trump and Netanyahu genuinely at odds, as American and Israeli media narratives suggest? Or is this an elaborately staged spectacle, serving a mutual economic-political agenda—a carefully orchestrated charade concealing a darker scheme unfolding on the ground?
Sachs’ Address: A Strategic Bombshell
During an exceptional panel at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in March 2025, renowned American economist Jeffrey Sachs ignited what analysts deemed a “political bombshell” when he declared:
*”Israel cannot continue its war on Gaza for even a single day without direct American support. This is not solely Israel’s war—it is unmistakably America’s war too.”
The statement rippled across policy circles and media outlets, sharply exposing the extent of Washington’s complicity. What made Sachs’ remarks even more consequential was not just their delivery but their timing—emerging amid growing regional unrest and mounting evidence of US military shipments to Israel despite humanitarian pleas.
More significantly, Sachs’ comments confirmed long-held suspicions—that behind the performative diplomacy lies a bipartisan, corporate-military strategy aimed not only at suppressing resistance but reengineering the region’s demographics and economy.
Bernie Sanders: Naming the Betrayal
Sachs was not alone in highlighting this grim reality. On May 8, 2025, Senator Bernie Sanders addressed Congress, branding Netanyahu’s policies as acts of “mass starvation and calculated destruction aimed at transforming Gaza into a Riviera for wealthy investors.”
According to Sanders, Trump’s much-touted post-war reconstruction plans for Gaza—sold as a path to peace—amount to nothing more than a repackaged “Deal of the Century,” this time cloaked in economic jargon. His words sparked heated debate over the true nature of these public disputes: Are they mere clashes of ego and political ambition, or a deliberately executed strategy to reshape Gaza’s geography for international profit?
The Manufactured Rift: A Strategic Play
Investigative reports emerging from Trump’s May 2025 Gulf tour exposed the illusory nature of the alleged “cooling relationship” between Trump and Netanyahu. The most telling episode was Trump’s direct negotiations with Hamas over the release of dual national Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander—a move quickly labeled by the press as a “snub” to Netanyahu.
However, a closer, more objective analysis suggests that this was a calculated publicity maneuver, designed to win favor with Arab audiences. Beneath this superficial discord, Trump’s administration continued its military aid to Israel, shielded it diplomatically, and protected its leadership from international accountability.
In essence, what appeared to be tension was a meticulously choreographed performance—a strategy of visible divergence concealing a deeper, unbreakable alliance.
Gaza Riviera: The Economic Facade of Ethnic Cleansing
During a joint press event in February 2025, Trump proclaimed Gaza would be rebuilt as “the Riviera of the Middle East,” managed by American and Gulf-based companies. Netanyahu publicly voiced concerns in media interviews, seemingly distancing himself from the idea. Yet on the ground, mass starvation, systematic neighborhood demolitions, and the suffocating blockade aligned perfectly with the conditions necessary for executing this luxury redevelopment project.
Analyses across American and European media converged on a chilling conclusion: for “Gaza Riviera” to materialize, Gaza must first be depopulated. The relentless military operations and engineered humanitarian crisis serve precisely this goal. These atrocities are not mere collateral damage but an orchestrated prelude to property seizures and international land deals, disguised as “post-war reconstruction.”
Sachs’ and Sanders’ declarations only reinforced what was already unfolding: This war’s purpose extends beyond eliminating armed resistance—it is a forced clearance of land for private capital, justified under the guise of regional stability.
Arab Gulf Placation: Cosmetic Diplomacy
Trump’s diplomatic visits to Gulf capitals—accompanied by pronouncements about “facilitating humanitarian aid”—amounted to little more than a smokescreen. Carefully crafted photo ops projected goodwill, yet they failed to yield any meaningful restraint on Israel’s aggression, nor imposed serious pressure on Tel Aviv to halt its onslaught.
On the contrary, American military shipments to Israel accelerated, even as Trump’s administration issued hollow statements of “concern for civilian casualties.” The superficial diplomacy masked an unchanged strategic position: unconditional US support for Israel’s war objectives, irrespective of civilian suffering.
Calculated Silence Amid Ethnic Displacement
In May 2025, Netanyahu publicly unveiled plans for permanent Israeli control over Gaza, enforcing mass displacement of its residents. Thousands of families were left without food or medical care, as confirmed by multiple UN reports. Yet Trump’s response amounted to nothing more than vague appeals for “restraint.”
There was no suspension of military aid. No diplomatic pressure. No effort to halt arms shipments. Instead, the US exercised its veto power to block international warrants and ceasefire initiatives targeting Israeli leadership. The message was clear: Beneath the media spectacle of disputes, the Trump-Netanyahu partnership remains intact—coordinated, strategic, and fundamentally driven by mutual economic and geopolitical interests.
Conclusion: The Arab World’s Choice
In light of these developments, one fundamental question remains: Are we witnessing a carefully choreographed political farce designed to mislead Arab audiences through orchestrated contradictions and media-engineered disputes?
Or is the Trump-Netanyahu axis something even more dangerous—a supra-political, profit-driven enterprise operating under the guise of diplomacy, seizing Palestinian land and manipulating demographic shifts under the facade of “humanitarian reconstruction”?
And most crucially, can the Arab world—its governments and citizens alike—afford to remain passive spectators in this grim theater, or has the time for confrontation finally arrived?
Marwa El-Shinawy – Academic and Writer
