On Feb. 4, President Donald J. Trump held a conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, where he called for the removal of Palestinians in Gaza and said he wanted to deploy United States troops there.
I believe that President Trump’s idea of sending troops to Gaza is not needed and should raise questions from the people who have voted for him as well as a show of hypocrisy by him.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Trump met at the White House on Feb. 4 for a press conference, where Trump said he wanted the U.S. to take ownership of the Gaza Strip, according to a Feb. 5 New York Times article.
Trump also mentioned that he had an interest in deploying troops to Gaza, which surprised Prime Minister Netanyahu who was not expecting Trump to voice this desire, according to the same New York Times article.
I found it unexpected that Trump wanted to deploy U.S. troops to Gaza because during his election campaign, when asked about what he would do for the ongoing war in Gaza and Israel, Trump advocated for a call to end the war in Gaza and Israel throughout his election, according to a Nov. 9, 2024 Washington Post article.
Even though I was all aboard for former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Gaza and Israel war was always on my mind. I had no clue who I wanted to vote for regarding both party’s answers.
Because of his plans to keep away from the war compared to his opponent Harris, Trump had won over the Arabs and Muslims, and even almost won me over as well.
The Muslim voter turnout in one of the most decisive states for the election was a big win for Trump, where he won 42% of the vote in Michigan according to a Nov. 10, 2024 NBC news article.
Trump won Dearborn, Michigan, which is known to be the most Arab American city in the country, according to the same NBC news article.
I almost fell for Trump’s plan about wanting to end the war, but I quickly realized that he is a hypocrite and you can’t quickly trust a man like him.
Trump wants to take over and own Gaza, according to a Feb. 4 The Guardian article.
He gave vague answers to wanting a two-state solution and had not ruled out sending troops to Gaza, which he mentioned during his meeting with Netanyahu on Feb. 4.
The Gaza ceasefire deal had been approved on Jan. 15, where both Israel and Hamas exchanged prisoners that both had held hostage, according to a Feb. 2 BBC article.
There are not supposed to be any troops in Gaza, according to the same source regarding the ceasefire agreement. But what Trump had said goes completely against the agreement.
These plans that Trump proclaimed, are similar to those of former presidents who have wanted to go to the Middle East and send U.S. troops there.
Throughout the years we have seen different presidents who have wanted to go to the Middle East, which goes back from former President George W. Bush to the current presidents sending money to other countries who are doing the oppression — such as the U.S. sending money to Israel and sending troops into countries when it is unnecessary.
Bush sent troops to Afghanistan after Sept. 11, 2001 and the Taliban only grew stronger and once the U.S. withdrew in 2021 under former President Joe Biden’s administration, the Taliban was easily able to take control of the country, according to a June 5, 2021 NPR article.
As an Afghan myself, hearing about the removal of American troops from Afghanistan was devastating to see.
I had viewed the removal of the troops there as sad because it only showed how America wasn’t needed in Afghanistan and only caused more problems for Afghans living there.
The Taliban only grew stronger and the Afghan people grew weaker under their control which allowed the Taliban to easily take over.
In 2003, Trump had said he supported Bush on the war in Iraq and said it was needed, but during the 2019 presidential election he said that the war in Iraq was not needed and he never agreed on it, according to an Oct. 27, 2019 AP News article.
When American troops went to Syria, it was also not needed. Many more groups that started more problems for other countries and ours formed because of American forces there, including notorious terrorist groups such as ISIS beginning to rebel against Americans, according to an Aug. 13, 2016 CNN article.
When the U.S. sent troops to the Middle East in the past, it ended in bloodshed, losing many civilian and American lives.
Trump deploying troops to the Middle East once again is not needed. Americans should question what is being said by our president and realize that what is happening is not right, for America and for the Palestinians.
