President Donald Trump’s recent proposal to seize control of the Gaza Strip, expel its Palestinian inhabitants, and transform it has sparked global outrage.
However, Trump isn’t the first US president to propose a Gaza plan. In December 1998, I joined President Bill Clinton on a trip to Israel and Gaza, a moment of optimism following the Wye River Memorandum peace accord.
I witnessed President Clinton inaugurate Gaza’s new international airport, a project Israel supported under the agreement. Clinton emphasized America’s commitment to delivering “tangible benefits of peace,” envisioning a future where “tourists and traders” could visit this “beautiful Mediterranean place”—a future where Palestinians were globally connected.
We also visited a new beach hotel, a potential tourist attraction fitting for a “Riviera.”
Hope was high. The Palestinian Authority subsequently removed clauses from its charter calling for Israel’s destruction, another Wye memorandum requirement.
Yet, optimism faded. The Wye agreement failed, and Clinton’s peace efforts proved unsuccessful. By 2001, the second intifada began, and Israel rendered the Gaza airport unusable. Hamas seized control in 2007.
Following Hamas’s rise, Israel’s attempts to deter attacks from Gaza ultimately failed, culminating in the October 7, 2023, events. Israel now aims to decisively defeat Hamas and other extremist groups.
I support Israel’s goal of dismantling Hamas for security reasons. But the long-term vision of peaceful Israeli-Palestinian coexistence shouldn’t be abandoned. While Trump rightly questioned Gaza’s future, his plan to remove Palestinians is wrong. Peace and prosperity can’t be built on displacement.
Before his 1998 Gaza visit, President Clinton addressed Israelis: “In the Israeli-Palestinian relationship, one thing is certain: you are neighbors. The question isn’t whether you’ll live side-by-side, but how.”
This remains true. History shows lasting peace needs engagement, not exclusion. Abandoning hope has consequences. Twenty-seven years after Clinton’s visit, it’s time to build a future where both Israelis and Palestinians have a stake.