WhatsappUS Vice President JD Vance’s day trip to Israel started with a visit to the civilian-military cooperation center in Kiryat Gat. Like anything coming out of the Trump administration these days, what may sound nice has a far more sinister goal. After all, Trump is the king of marketing, and he sees his role in all of this as the sugar around the poison Israel is meant to swallow. JD Vance is here to ensure it happens.
“We are one week into President Trump’s historic peace plan in the Middle East, and things are going, frankly, better than I expected. Here at the civilian-military cooperation center, which we are announcing the opening of, you have Israelis and Americans working hand-in-hand to try to begin the plan to rebuild Gaza, to implement a long-term peace, and to actually ensure that you have security forces on the ground in Gaza, not composed of Americans, who can keep the peace over the long term,” Vance said while Witkoff, Kushner, and US CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper stood near by.
Foreign Troops Already Here
Besides US and Israeli soldiers, British, Canadian, German, Danish, and Jordanian soldiers are already present at the coordination center, with more expected to join. The buildup of the international force and the insistence of Turkey that it enter the Gaza Strip as well do not bode well for Israel’s ability to maneuver inside Gaza.
The Trump administration insists that the force is there to take over Gaza, but its presence in sovereign Israel begs another question: what are its real aims? After all, many of the countries listed are not friendly to Israel. With Turkey already getting itself into Gaza by way of its Hamas-linked “humanitarian” organizations, it is not far-fetched that it will be one of the leaders of the International Stabilization Force (ISF).
Prime Minister Netanyahu insists that Israel can continue fighting Hamas if needed, but what is apparent is that the Trump administration sees its “peace” plan as its ultimate objective now even at the expense of Israel’s security.
Hamas Rising Again
Reports have indicated that Hamas has begun reorganizing in Gaza and, at the same time, building its forces up throughout Judea and Samaria. The US pressure on Israel to hold off from taking out Hamas and ultimately the “palestinian” national movement is not only putting IDF soldiers at risk as they remain stationary and in defensive positions, but millions of Israeli citizens, both in the center of the country and across the communities of Judea and Samaria.
While supporters of Bibi insist he has pulled off the unthinkable by aligning with Trump, Israel’s loss of sovereignty when it comes to its own self-defense should be seen as a complete failure and an alarming development. Netanyahu may think he can wiggle out of the “peace” plan, but with Rubio coming right after Vance departs, it is clear the Trump administration wants this deal done.
Unfortunately, Israelis have seen this all before. In the 1990s, at the height of the Oslo Accords fever pushed by an obsessed Bill Clinton, Israel’s leaders Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres kept the plan moving forward despite the heavy loss of life wrought by increased terror attacks. The same energy is felt now, too, across Israel.
With more and more foreign troops expected to arrive, all while Iran rebuilds Hezbollah to Israel’s north, Israel is once again surrounded - this time in a far more precarious position than before. Will Israel make it through? Yes, but the only question is at what cost?
