During Tuesday’s White House press conference with President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell said to Trump: “You are talking tonight about the United States taking over a sovereign territory. What authority would allow you to do that?”
What authority?
The question is a good one. In trying to understand Trump’s bombshell idea, there are many questions surrounding how the US would carry out rebuilding Gaza. For example, what about Palestinians relocating to neighbouring Arab countries? Would those who wish to return be permitted to do so? Or is Trump’s bold proposal simply stage one in a wider strategy that might look different when finalised.
But the question about what authority Trump would be allowed to act in, is actually foundational for every other detail.
Jesus was asked a similar question in Matthew 21: “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?”
Now, please do not misunderstand. This article is not comparing Trump to Jesus! But herein lies an important principle about authority. The Bible says that kings and rulers have been given authority ordained by God. Romans 13:1 says, “For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.”
There have been many leaders throughout history that have abused this authority – even in the name of Christianity – using so-called divine authority with devastating consequences. Therefore, leaders also require wisdom from God and the Holy Spirit’s leading to truly execute godly authority in a way that aligns with the will of God.
But there have also been those whom God has used as instruments for His purposes. Cyrus, who wasn’t even Jewish, was described as the Lord’s “anointed” to “subdue nations and loose the armour of kings.” In the same Isaiah 45 passage, we read, “For Jacob My servant’s sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.”
In contrast, Pharaoh misused his authority, holding the Jewish people as slaves in captivity. God is serious in His warnings about how the Jewish people are treated. God wanted His people out of Egypt. The consequence of Pharoah’s hardened-heart and antisemitism brought judgement upon his household and the people of Egypt.
If it was today, some Christians would look at the devastation brought upon Egypt in Exodus and blame the Jewish captives and not their captors. It might be hard for us to reconcile, but herein lies the devastating human cost of misspent God-given authority. Ultimately, the accountability was upon Pharoah.
When Gaza was handed over to the Palestinian people in 2005, Hamas soon came to power after being elected by the people. Hamas has brought devastation upon the people of Gaza for two decades, using them as pawns in their genocidal aims and depriving them of freedom and decent living standards (apart from super-rich Hamas leaders). We should be burdened about the suffering of Palestinian families, many of whom no longer have their homes because of the decision by Hamas to commit a massacre against the Jewish people and start a war against Israel. Hamas is responsible for Gaza’s downfall. Their Iranian financers are also complicit.
For 20 years, British and American taxpayers’ money intended for aid for Palestinians has funded Hamas’s terror tunnels, funded antisemitic propaganda in Palestinian education, and helped make tens of thousands of rockets for use in attacking Israel. We must not allow this to be repeated.
International bodies like the UN have turned the other way rather than condemn Hamas. They have allowed UN-run hospitals, schools and shelters to become havens for terrorists. The UN has used any authority it had to smear and undermine the nation of Israel. It must not be allowed to continue.
Now there is a ceasefire, but Hamas must never be allowed to go back to ruling Gaza. But not only Hamas, any group that subscribes to the same evil antisemitic agenda that wants to obliterate the Jewish people from the face of the earth MUST not be allow to control Gaza.
When an entity loses territory after trying to destroy a sovereign nation, then they lost their authority and right to land. Hamas has effectively lost, but they don’t intend on giving up Gaza. And the West’s recycling of the two-state fantasy will only allow Hamas to rise up again.
And this is why President Trump is suggesting an idea that is completely different. He knows that Hamas must be removed, the two-state solution is dead, and the UN cannot be trusted. The plan, at the very least, sends a strong signal to the world that nothing else has worked and Hamas is not in the equation. Opinion will vary about America’s involvement, but his message is clear: American has Israel’s back.
As Prime Minister Netanyahu answered NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell, one of his war goals is to ensure that Gaza never poses a threat to Israel again. He said, “President Trump is taking it to a much higher level. He sees a different future for that piece of land that has been the focus of such much terrorism, so many attacks against us… He has a different idea.”
“I think it’s worth paying attention to this,” Netanyahu goes on. “We’re talking about it. He’s exploring it with his people, with his staff. I think it’s something that could change history, and it’s worthwhile really pursuing this avenue.”
But does Trump have the authority to do what he has proposed? Gaza is, of course, part of the Land of Israel given as an eternal inheritance for the Jewish people. No other country, not even America, has authority over the land. Only Israel has the authority. But this is something that Trump seems to understand. In clarifying remarks on Thursday he suggested Gaza would be “turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting.”
This is important. He acknowledges that it is Israel’s jurisdiction. And it implies that it would only happen once Israel has finished the job of defeating Hamas. Allowing Israel to finish the job is something that many western leaders have tried to prevent. This prerequisite might seem obvious for Trump’s plan to work, but it isn’t so obvious to many western leaders who want a two-state solution.
He continued, “The U.S., working with great development teams from all over the World, would slowly and carefully begin the construction of what would become one of the greatest and most spectacular developments of its kind on Earth. No soldiers by the U.S. would be needed! Stability for the region would reign!!!”
Israel’s agreement to what happens next in Gaza is paramount. It is critical that any rebuilding of Gaza by Trump receives consent by Israel. If Israel agrees to America’s proposal, then it is with that blessing and in that authority that President Trump acts.
And where does Israel’s authority come from? Israel’s authority over the Land comes from God.
“ So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it.” (Joshua 21:43)
