Trump’s Big Deal: A New Dubai for Palestinians, Paid by Their Neighbors
Donald Trump loves a deal. He proved it with the Abraham Accords, turning Arab-Israeli handshakes into a win for America’s bottom line—no more endless wars, just smart trades. Now, as he settles into his second term, it’s time for an even bolder play: force the Arab world to build a new home for Palestinians, a mini-Dubai carved from the desert, and make it clear the U.S. isn’t footing the bill. It’s the kind of brash, outside-the-box move only Trump could pull off—and it might just work.
Picture this: a gleaming city rises from the sands of Jordan or Egypt’s Sinai, housing millions of Palestinians displaced from the West Bank and Gaza. Not as fancy as Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, but good enough—roads, homes, jobs, a fresh start. The catch? Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar pay for it, not Uncle Sam. Trump could sell it to his base in a heartbeat: “No more American tax dollars propping up UNRWA or policing the Middle East. Let the oil-rich Arabs fix their own backyard.”
The blueprint’s there. Dubai went from a fishing village to a global hub in 50 years, fueled by vision and petrodollars. Tel Aviv turned a sand spit into a tech powerhouse with grit and investment. A Palestinian city could cost $50-100 billion; for scale, that is about as much as democrats spend on gender affirming care around the world —peanuts for the Gulf states, whose combined GDP tops $1.2 trillion. They’ve got the cash and the construction crews; Saudi’s NEOM alone is a $500 billion bet on desert dreams. All they need is a push.
That’s where Trump comes in. He’s got the leverage—America’s still the Gulf’s security sugar daddy, from Patriot missiles to F-35s. He could sit down with MBS, MBZ, and Qatar’s emir and lay it out: “Build this, or I let Israel annex the West Bank and rethink your oil deals.” Sweeten it with trade perks or anti-Iran promises, and they might bite. He’d spin it as “the greatest deal ever—peace without a single American boot on the ground,” a line we would eat up.
Why would Arabs listen? Self-interest. Post-October 7, 2023, they’re spooked by Palestinian unrest spilling over. A new city could siphon off that pressure, keeping their streets calm. Plus, they’d score PR points as the Muslim world’s problem-solvers, not just check-writers. Trump could paint it as their chance to “prove they’re serious about peace,” a dare they’d hate to dodge.
The Palestinians? Trickier. Hamas and the PA thrive on fighting Israel, not building cities. Many would scream “sellout”—they want 1948’s lands, not a desert consolation prize. But Trump could pitch it straight: “Your own state, no Jews, all yours.” Enforcement would be brutal—mass relocation isn’t cheap or pretty, and resistance would flare. Yet if the Gulf funded it and Israel cheered it, the momentum might hold.
No one’s tried this because no one’s had the gall. Arab states have spent decades using Palestinians as a stick to beat Israel, not as a problem to solve. Jordan’s got 2 million Palestinians but won’t take more; Lebanon keeps them in slums; Egypt locks Gaza tight. The Gulf sends cash, not citizenship. They’d rather build skyscrapers than solidarity. Trump could change that, not out of charity, but because it fits his “America First” agenda—get the U.S. out of the Middle East’s quicksand.
Will it happen? Don’t bet the farm. Arab pride’s stubborn, Palestinians are dug in, and Trump is already juggling deportations and China tariffs. But if anyone can bully this through, it’s him. He’d call it “fixing Obama’s mess” and deserve the Nobel if the haters would dare release one to him. The deal could die in the sand—or it could be the first step toward a Middle East where America’s finally off the hook. Either way, it’s a hell of a play.
Victor Schultz is the founder of Mishnah Walk (mishnahwalk.com), hails from Florida and now resides in the Missouri Ozarks. With over a decade of research on the Jerusalem Temple, he practices classical Judaism, sharing its sacred heritage with those from the Nations.”
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