The question that will plague us for the next three years, 49 weeks, and four days is when to take President Trump seriously and when to ignore what he says. How will we know if something he announces, declares, or mentions in passing is a serious and planned part of the MAGA agenda or a spur-of-the-moment, off-the-cuff idea that just popped into his mind, comes out in a stream of consciousness and has been vetted by no one?  When should we see his press conferences as a replica/continuation of his 2-hour-long campaign rally speeches, or should we understand them as real presidential press conferences unrolling his administration’s policies? This week, President Trump certainly sounded the alarm in his barely coherent declaration during Tuesday’s disgraceful White House press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His unabashed proposal to transfer two million Palestinians out of Gaza, take it over, and redevelop it as a U.S. territory or as “the Riviera of the Middle East” shocked the world and was met with immediate disapproval from key American partners and officials around the world, with many expressing support for a Palestinian state and experts calling the idea both unfeasible and a breach of international law. ?למה הדבר דומה – To What Can this be compared?  Is this assertion similar to his many late campaign / post-inauguration utterances, such as the desire to purchase Greenland, annex Canada, take back the Panama Canal, rename the Gulf of Mexico, or make the planet Mars into the 51st State?  Or is it part of the unfolding MAGA agenda and a torrent of Executive Orders that are wreaking havoc on the fabric of American life and society and demand response and resistance? On the one hand, this is a distraction… Our feeds were instantaneously buzzing with activity, speculation, condemnations, and quips about Gaza-Lago, and Trump Tower Khan Younis. But this is a distraction because most people know that, in reality, what he proposed is impossible, impractical, utterly illegal according to international law, and won’t happen. It is also a distraction because while he has us all in a tizzy over his latest can-you-believe-what-he-just-said statement, his people are busy implementing other things that under the radar. On the other hand, it is essential to react and condemn. Words matter. The President both knows this and doesn’t know this. Words tend to create realities or set the context through which realities are created. There is a vast difference between saying rash and irresponsible things at a campaign rally versus the President of the United States speaking in a press conference. Many of us recoiled and rejected wholeheartedly similar sentiments when they came from illustrious characters such as the late Rabbi Meir Kahane (or any of his disciples currently in power). It is upon us to speak out loudly and clearly against those who see this holy prophecy trickling down from “God on high.” Trump’s comments have the potential to move the Overton window, give legitimacy to those who have been preaching “transfer,” and confirm the fears of those who read in his comments the threat of ethnic cleansing. Whether he meant either of those things or not, the need to speak up and condemn, push back, and resist his increasingly unchecked power and irresponsible leadership is of paramount importance. While everyone is up in arms about Trump’s turning Gaza into the Riviera of the Middle East and expelling Palestinians, this could grossly empower extremists in the Israeli Government. As former Ambassador Dan Shapiro recently stated: “The danger is that extremists within the Israeli government and terrorists of various stripes will take it literally and seriously and start to act on it,” he said. “It could imperil the further release of hostages, put a target on the back of U.S. personnel, and undercut prospects of a Saudi-Israel normalization deal.” The Israeli reaction. Watching Prime Minister Netanyahu grin and grimace during Tuesday’s press conference was fascinating. There he was, back in the saddle again in his happy place as the first foreign leader invited to the White House by Trump 2.0.  Netanyahu buttered up the President, showered him with compliments, and then seemingly didn’t know what to make of Trump’s proposal other than to say that it was “worth exploring.” The real danger is the door that was opened to the Israeli far-right. Over the past few weeks, they have found themselves spinning in an attempt to make sense of the enigma of Trump. He swung the pendulum from Messiah to anti-Christ and now back to Messiah. The mistake that the far-right makes is that in working to parse out and make sense of “The Donald,” they often jump to the wishful but delusional conclusion that Trump is somehow an ideological ally or partner. He is not. He is bereft of ideology. For these intents and purposes, that may be a good thing. Those who call for a transfer of Palestinians should learn from the famous Midrash on this week’s Parashah, in which God’s voice bellows out in rebuke of the Israelites as the Egyptian army is drowning in the sea, saying, “מַעֲשֵׂי יָדַי טוֹבְעִים בַּיָּם וְאַתֶּם אוֹמְרִים שִׁירָה?[1]” – “My creatures are drowning in the sea and you are rejoicing.” Nothing could be less Jewish than wishing for the destruction of others of God’s creations. As Jews, we have the obligation to resist and do everything in our power to prevent that from happening. We do, however, also have an obligation to eliminate our enemies and know that Hamas cannot continue to control Gaza. Beyond the far right, we heard troubling reactions from centrist MK Benny Gantz who was also quoted as saying that the president presented “creative, original and interesting thinking, which must be examined alongside the realization of the goals of the war,.” Whether that was genuine or just Gantz being on the record with Trump as he is following the polls and may want to hedge his bets with the grudge-holding President, should he one day become Prime Minister, it is shocking and highly problematic. While that may be his political calculation, the effect of someone like Gantz being perceived as supporting Trump’s proposal and thus expressing utter disrespect for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people has potentially detrimental ramifications in affording legitimacy to such an improbable, immoral, and illegal proposal. The Palestinians: Let’s give Trump the benefit of the doubt. Sure, he sees Gaza as if it were another landfill in New Jersey that he could pave over and build a resort and golf course, but he may not be wrong in terms of what is actually needed. As Israeli journalist Raviv Drucker commented, “If this is really possible, then it could be amazing.” If the U.S. and its partners could orchestrate an extensive plan to rebuild Gaza in the fashion of the Israeli real estate incentive program known as “Tama-38” (or more colloquially: pinui/binui – “relocate and rebuild”) – where residents of a building are temporarily relocated while contractors remodel the building, add two floors and improve the overall standard of living for the residents. (Drucker, of course, continued by saying, “The problem is that it is not really possible”). There may be great swaths of Palestinians who might be looking to leave voluntarily or would be willing to relocate with some concrete assurances of a timeline for return. As of now, there is no escape from the humanitarian hellhole that is Gaza, and Egypt and Jordan are not viable options. It is clear that Pres. Trump is not actually thinking about the reality and pragmatism of the situation, nor does he have an inkling of the moral ramifications of his soulless babble. However, very few others are addressing what to do with millions of Palestinians who have now crossed the Netzarim Corridor and are returning to Northern Gaza to discover that their homes have been reduced to rubble. Trump needs to listen to the many Palestinians who have declared that they will never leave their land again and begin to internalize that he is somewhat dismissively talking about actual human beings and not cattle who can be herded hither and thither. Hamas has no intention of giving up its control or its aims, let alone disarming. It has expressed willingness to create an “administrative committee” to rule Gaza with other parties, including Arab countries and the Palestinian Authority, expanding on an Egyptian initiative. Such a committee is thought to be only a superficial screen that would allow Hamas to retain control of security while reducing its responsibility for civilian governance. Looking back over the arc of recent history, the Palestinians of Gaza (largely under the rule of Hamas) have not used the resources provided them to build this “Riviera” and have been mainly committed to Israel’s deconstruction rather than their own state-building and reconstruction. It will take more than the Americans to de-radicalize Gaza, and if the Palestinians don’t want that, they will have to act in partnership with Israel and others to begin the rebuilding process. By now, it should be clear what is not helpful. The president has proved that he is capable of making things happen when he sees it in his interest to do so. He helped push for the hostage release deal, and we all hope that this will potentially convince the Right to allow Phase II to be implemented due to their delusional fantasy that Trump’s gaffe will turn into reality. What is sorely needed now, and what we can be hopeful for, is, as MK Gilad Kariv shared, “a regional political initiative that includes renewing dialogue with the Palestinians and offering a political horizon and hope.” The rebuilding of Gaza will need to be a joint effort of many partners and investors, and in the meantime, nothing can happen while 79 hostages languish behind. This will not be the last time Trump says something alarming, and our job is to continue on our path to push for the release of the hostages and continued strength and resilience for a just and democratic Israel and America.