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Trump’s Plan to Make Gaza Great Again
World leaders applaud as President Donald Trump holds a signing founding charter at the “Board of Peace” meeting during the World Economic Forum on January 22.(Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
He’s counting on the power of positive thinking to bring peace to the Holy Land. Good luck with that.
By Eli Lake
01.23.26 — U.S. Politics
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If you want to understand the philosophy behind Donald Trump’s new Board of Peace and his vision for a “Gaza-Lago” resort city in a rebuilt war zone, no political or historical tract will be helpful. To understand Trump’s gambit to end the enduring war between Israel and the Palestinians, you’ll need Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking.

Peale’s text, which Trump has credited as a major inspiration for his personal philosophy, helps explain the wildly optimistic vision for the decimated Gaza Strip that the president unveiled Thursday at Davos. As Peale writes, “When you embrace the power of positive thinking, you unlock a world of infinite potential.”

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Eli Lake
Eli Lake is the host of Breaking History, a new history podcast from The Free Press. A veteran journalist with expertise in foreign affairs and national security, Eli has reported for Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, and Newsweek. With Breaking History, he brings his sharp analysis and storytelling skills to uncover the connections between today’s events and pivotal moments in the past.
Tags:
Donald Trump
Israel
Diplomacy
Gaza
Hamas
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