Monday In Egypt More Porosity, Less Solidity. Avoiding Political Radiation Poisoning. 5.35 Minutes. Swollen Hands And Tired Tongues. Erdogan’s US$100 Billion Question? Not Great Day For Muslims.
Monday In Egypt Represents More Porosity And Less Solidity
Primarily Performative- All About “Dear Leader” Moments
5.35 Minutes Per Person
Avoiding Political Radiation Poisoning
Swollen Hands And Tired Tongues
Pucker Up For Some Politically Wet And Sloppy Kisses
For Leaders, Not Receiving An Invitation, Not Requesting An Invitation, Risks Rath Of President Trump
Total Time For President Trump In Israel/Egypt Is Seven Hours And Forty-Minutes
Governments Must Not Permit State Of Israel To Escape Paying To Reconstruct Gaza
President Erdogan’s Search For US$100 Billion
Are Muslim Nations Today Strengthened Or Weakened By Trump-Vance Administration’s Twenty-One Point Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict?
These next weeks will reflect a series of indigestibles for Muslims as they endure non-stop media coverage and political statements focusing upon the return of forty-eight Jewish people. The State of Israel not weakened. It is strengthened.
The two-year plight of 2.3 million inhabitants of Gaza including death of more than 65,000 inhabitants of Gaza will be reduced as Gaza itself has been reduced, to the margins of discourse. The goal of the Trump-Vance Administration (2025-2029) is far more about ending the suffering of inhabitants of the State of Israel than ending the suffering of inhabitants of Gaza.
During the next many months, there will be interviews, long-form writings, songs, motion pictures, and made-for-television movies featuring former hostages, their families, their friends.
Every 7 October will be remembrances in the State of Israel and other countries for the beginning of retribution rather than for the beginning of what many globally believe a twenty-first century redefining of the term genocide against the inhabitants of Gaza.
Every 13 October will be to remember the beginning of the return of forty-eight Jewish people with holidays, political rallies, and speaking engagements.
For Muslims, they view the education, entertainment, finance, and political sectors throughout the United States as influenced by individuals self-defining as Jewish. They struggle with how to criticize the government of the State of Israel and criticize Jewish people without being defined as antisemitic. There is a belief by Muslims that those who have issues with Muslims and with Islam have an automatic “get out of jail free card” granting them free rein to fear Muslims, hate Muslims, denigrate Muslims, constrict Muslims, and marginalize Muslims. That there are only bad outcomes for those who hate Jewish people. There is a rational goal to not want to hate. There should be no prohibition to hate.
Many Muslims cringe from the words of Jared Kushner, who is Jewish and the son-in-law of Donald Trump, President of the United States (2017-2021 and 2025-2029), when he declares that in Gaza “most of them” are innocent and were harmed through “no fault of their own” and the government of the State of Israel “instead of barbarism of the enemy, chose to be better.” And ends with “I want to thank amazing soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for their heroism, brilliance, and bravery.” Some Muslims want to throw-up in response to the musings of a child born to a rich Jewish family. Then reality: This child born to a rich Jewish family is the son-in-law of the president of the United States.
Muslims hear from the government of the State of Israel, “[It] is and will remain a state governed by the rule of law, committed to upholding the rights and dignity of all individuals in accordance with international standards.”
And Muslims hear the following statement which only reinforces the impossibility of “peace” among the inhabitants of the State of Israel and the inhabitants of Gaza. There is no possibility that within Gaza there will be no inhabitants of Gaza who are not hostile to the government of the State of Israel and the inhabitants of the State of Israel given more than 65,000 deaths and 92% of infrastructure and structures damaged and destroyed in Gaza since 7 October 2023- and previous decades of adversarial decisions impacting Gaza by the government of the State of Israel.
“Yeah, look, that’s going to be a key component of that second phase we just discussed as long as there’s a threat emanating from Gaza against Israel’s security, be it Hamas or some successor organization. As long as there are people, organizations inside of Gaza who possess rockets, build tunnels, want to kidnap, murder, and rape Israeli citizens and attack Israel, there isn’t going to be peace.” Marco Rubio, United States Secretary of State
On Monday, a reported twenty-seven (28) heads of state, heads of government, ministers of foreign affairs, and others arrive in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, to participate in what the Trump-Vance Administration describes as “a Middle East Peace Ceremony” for 150-minutes, from 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm. The gathering is hosted by or Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt (2014- ).
Significant to note representatives from the government of the State of Israel will not participate. Representatives from the government of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) may participate. Representatives of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) will not participate.
If this is how the optics come to fruition, the gathering will not represent solidity. The gathering will represent porosity.
According to the government of Egypt, the 150-minute gathering in Sharm El Sheikh will focus upon an “end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability.” And:
“Finalize the ceasefire agreement: The summit aims to finalize the first phase of the peace plan, which includes releasing hostages and prisoners, increasing humanitarian aid into Gaza, and the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops.”
“Prevent regional escalation: Egypt has emphasized its goal of preventing the conflict from escalating into a broader regional war.”
“Address reconstruction and long-term stability: The agenda will also cover the rebuilding of Gaza and creating a framework for regional security and dialogue.”
On this last agenda item, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkiye (2014-2028), may use the opportunity in Sharm El Sheikh to advocate “For the destruction in Gaza, Israel must pay $100 billion.” That would be US$43,478.00 per person. During remarks on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2024, President Erdogan shared it unlikely that the government of the State of Israel would be held responsible for paying anything. Perhaps, he is now more optimistic?
President Trump said recently that President Erdogan was “very helpful” in advocating to representatives of Hamas that they release the living and the dead. “Erdogan helped a lot. He is a tough guy, but he is a friend of mine and he was great.” According to a quoted, but unnamed official of the Trump-Vance Administration, “President Trump told [President] Erdogan: ‘I did a lot for you and now I need you to do this.’”
The government of the Arab Republic of Egypt along with other governments should require an immediate transfer control of the Rafah border crossing from the government of the State of Israel to the government of the Arab Republic of Egypt. This is essential for the cost-effective and efficient delivery of construction materials into Gaza. Next, construction of a permanent port facility must commence, which will be necessary for the cost-effective and efficient delivery of commodities, construction materials, equipment, and vehicles. Lastly, renovation of the Yasser Arafat International Airport (GZA) should commence.
The construction of a port facility and the renovation of the airport will create substantial temporary and permanent employment opportunities for inhabitants of Gaza.
Essential that no company owned or operated by citizens of the State of Israel participate in any construction and renovation project until the government of the State of Israel pays reparations for the destruction of Gaza due to decisions by the IDF.
One concern for governments- and their taxpayers, who will be asked by President Trump and the government of the State of Israel to fund the construction, development, and repair required throughout Gaza estimated previously to be US$50 billion (US$21,739.00 per person). If they provide funding, if buildings are constructed, rebuilt, repaired and occupied, can there be confidence that the current government of the State of Israel or a future government of the State of Israel would not again direct the IDF to destroy those structures? The IDF destroyed buildings in Qatar.
Thus far, reportedly invited to the 150-minute “Middle East Peace Ceremony” are twenty-six (26) countries along with representatives of the European Council (EC) and United Nations (UN): Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Canada, Cyprus, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkiye, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States.
5.35 Minutes And “Dear Leader”
If each of the twenty-seven participants address their colleagues, that’s five minutes and thirty-five seconds (5.35) per person. Does anyone expect President Trump to adhere to that constraint?
Those participants who have a command of the English language will have an advantage against those requiring an interpreter for both formal remarks and aside conversations.
The participants are participating to absorb what they hope are benefits from political radiation- attaching themselves to the release of the living and the dead.
The participants believe their participation is to absorb and then project global relevance for themselves primarily for domestic political benefit- to their voters and taxpayers.
They hope to avoid harm from political radiation- electoral toxicity and eventual death at the ballot box.
There is considerable risk from political radiation- leaders attaching themselves to a conflict unresolved, an unpopular government of the State of Israel, and reinforcing perception that leadership prioritizes peoples afar more so than those who elect them- who should be their primary responsibility.
Yet, they expect issues with the implementation of the Trump-Vance Administration’s twenty-one-point Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict. They fear President Trump will project responsibility for undesired outcomes with greater robustness than he accepts responsibility for desired outcomes.
There will be an inescapable “Dear Leader” quality to the gathering in Sharm El Sheikh. No head of state or head of government wants to be represented by an empty chair- specifically an empty chair that is noticed by President Trump. He will remember who dissed him- and at an inconvenient opportunity for the missing, he will unleash about the disrespect he perceives directed toward him.
There will be clapping and nauseating examples of verbal genuflection- until the hands of each participant are reddened, chaffed, and swollen, and their lips and tongues are sore.
Expect more announcements from the participants in Sharm El Sheikh that they intend to nominate President Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of the State of Israel (2022- , 2009-2021, 1996-1999), did already- and will probably do it again.
Pucker-up for some politically embarrassing and sloppy kisses.
