File- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) 2015 Policy Conference, March 2, 2015 in Washington, DC. (photo credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images/AFP)
President Trump Acknowledges Declining Israeli Influence in the United States. On December 16, during a Hanukkah celebration at the White House, President Trump said that Israel and the “Jewish lobby” have lost influence in the United States. He stated, “If you go back 10, 12, 15 years ago at the most, the strongest lobby in Washington was the Jewish lobby. It was Israel. That’s no longer true. You have to be very careful.” Trump said that “there’s been a big change” in Congress, adding that a lot of members “don’t like Israel,” and singled out Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) as examples.
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Trump Says Gaza Stabilization Force Is Running. On December 15, President Trump said that the International Stabilization Force for Gaza is “already running” and that additional countries would join and provide troops. Trump also said that his administration was reviewing whether Israel violated the Gaza ceasefire by killing a Hamas leader on December 13.
The White House Pitches $112 Billion Plan to Rebuild Gaza. On December 19, the Wall Street Journal reported that the United States pitched a proposal, dubbed “Project Sunrise,” to rebuild Gaza into a “high-tech, luxurious coastal destination” over the next two decades to potential donor countries, including Gulf states, Turkey, and Egypt. According to the report, the project was developed by a team led by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and would cost $112.1 billion over the first 10 years, with the United States committing to cover approximately 20 percent of the total cost during that period. The report also noted that the 20-year roadmap entails four phases of reconstruction after Hamas disarms, with construction beginning in southern Gaza.
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