ALBAWABA - The internet has buzzed with the latest news that the United States is planning to open a $500 million military base near the Gaza Strip. Many theories emerged online about the reason and the goal of placing American troops near the critical, war-torn Palestinian city.
According to Ynet and Shomrim, the U.S. government intends to launch a big military base in Israel near the Gaza border. The base will approximately cost half a billion dollars.
Several conspiracy theories emerged on social media, with some claiming that the U.S. will move forward with its former plan proposed by Donald Trump to control Gaza and turn the city into the "Riviera of the Middle East".
Last February, Trump suggested permanently relocating all people from Gaza to a neighboring country, [suggesting Egypt or Jordan], and take over the strip, remove the rubble, rebuild it and reconstruct it. Trump said that taking over Gaza will provide "unlimited amounts of jobs and housing for the people of the area".
A person commented, "How about we get out of the Middle East and we defund every foreign nation while we are at it and start focusing on deporting 50 million here at home while we restructure manufacturing and stop the asset managers and foreigners from purchasing homes and property here in the USA instead?"
American troops. (Shutterstock)
Another wrote, "Not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing." "Oh so just a military occupation with the US taxpayer footing the bill, as usual," another X user reported.
One activist said, "Perhaps spend that half billion on US Vets, and ORDER Israel not to breach the ceasefire instead of babysitting it from Palestine."
What is the reason behind the US military base near Gaza?
The report by Ynet and Shomrim said that the new American military base will be used to host international forces, which are expected to observe the situation in Gaza to ensure the maintenance of the ceasefire agreed between Hamas and Israel that ended a 2-year war.
The joint report says the facility is expected to house several thousand troops, at a cost estimated at around $500 million.
A security official said building a military base with foreign troops to monitor the Gaza ceasefire is considered a big move for Israel, which pushed hard to avoid international involvement in territories under its control. It can also show how much the US is determined to take an active role in Gaza post-war.
Michael Milshtein, who is a senior researcher at Tel Aviv University's Dayan Center and ex-head of Palestinian affairs in Israeli military intelligence, explained that the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat "will be responsible for most operations in Gaza, and Israel’s status as the central player in the Strip is about to change."
