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  • The ‘Only Thing’ Antonio Banderas Wants For His 28-Year-Old Daughter

    Proud dad Antonio Banderas has given his stamp of approval to his engaged daughter, Stella.”The only thing that I want if my daughter got into a relationship and now into a marriage is that she’s loved,” Banderas told People on Saturday, February 1. “Everything else is I don’t care. And she is loved and I love the man that she decided to get married with. So I am very, very happy for both of them.”

    Antonio Banderas

    Antonio Banderas attends The 24th Annual Latin Grammy Awards on November 16, 2023 in Seville, Spain. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Latin Recording Academy

    The Bosch star, 64, will appear in a commercial for the TV show at the Super Bowl, Sunday, February 9.Stella, 28, is the daughter of Banderas and his ex-wife Melanie Griffith, who was also married to Don Johnson. She was born in Spain and has acted in the films Crazy in Alabama and Mercedes-Benz: In Her Shoes. “It’s just great,” Banderas said of Stella’s upcoming nuptials to entrepreneur Alex Gruszynski, 28. “I feel great for her.”

    The young couple got engaged in August 2024, announcing the news on Stella’s Instagram via a carousel of photos that kicked off with the traditional snap of her ring (Gruszynski, founder and CEO of the startup NOVA, was seen lying in the background on a picnic blanket) and included throwback photos of the couple. The pair have known each other since early childhood. She captioned the post, “I get to hang out with my favorite person on earth forever!!!!!!!!”

    Griffith, 67, has previously given her nod of approval for the match. In an Instagram post, she told her fans, “Their love story began in pre-school! True love, deep love! Congratulations to the beloveds!!! ♥️” It accompanied a black-and-white portrait of the couple.

  • U.S. Magazines That Burst Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Bubble

    Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s U.S. empire has been under mounting pressure in recent years after a series of high profile articles in American magazines.

    The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have long hated the British media and framed their declining popularity in the U.K. as a product of tabloids poisoning the well of public opinion.However, more recently U.S. magazines have been the outlets throwing the Sussexes into crisis mode, starting in 2022.The Cut: ‘Meghan of Montecito’Meghan and Harry were still highly popular in America in 2022 but the first sign the bubble might burst came that August when New York Magazine’s The Cut dispatched Allison P. Davis to Montecito to interview the duchess.

    The result was a far cry from the brash hit pieces in U.K. newspapers like The Sun and the Daily Mail but there was a strong sense Davis had chosen not to drink the Kool-Aid.”She has been media trained and then royal-media trained and sometimes converses like she has a tiny Bachelor producer in her brain directing what she says,” Davis wrote. “At one point in our conversation, instead of answering a question, she will suggest how I might transcribe the noises she’s making: ‘She’s making these guttural sounds, and I can’t quite articulate what it is she’s feeling in that moment because she has no word for it; she’s just moaning.’

    “At this stage, post-royal, there’s no need for her to hold back. She’s flinging open the proverbial doors to her life; as any millennial woman whose feminism was forged in the girlboss era would understand, she has taken a hardship and turned it into content.”

    Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

    Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are seen in a composite image. ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty Images and Scott Dudelson/Getty Images

    Another passage read: “Meghan, silenced no more, looks around, making sure nobody (who would be?) is listening in. Then the top-secret drop: ‘I’m getting back … on Instagram,’ she says, her eyes alight and devilish.

    “This could have been a troll: Delivering a nothing with such gravitas feels as if Meghan, who has been so trolled by the media, is serving it back, just a little. But, as I quickly realize, it is actually news.”

    The mismatch between interviewer and interviewee is an interesting one because it speaks to a symptom of Meghan and Harry’s wider malaise.

    At times, they have pushed themselves out of the spaces that normally fawn over the royals but without necessarily working out how to appeal to other audiences.

    The revelation she was returning to Instagram was indeed a big story for precisely the tabloids Meghan and Harry have been trying to avoid but she perhaps should have known The Cut would expect something of greater substance from a woman who once said she reads The Economist.

    Variety: ‘It’s Well Past Time for Harry and Meghan 2.0′

    Months later, Meghan and Harry released their first Netflix project, a biopic charting their messy exit from the palace.

    It soared to the top of the Netflix rankings globally but again there was a canary in the mine shaft moment when Variety gave it a scathing review.

    Andrew Wallenstein, president and chief media analyst of its Intelligence Platform, wrote: “There can only be so many revelations left to share with the public now that the couple have exiled themselves away from their fractious coexistence with the monarchy.

    “Given that they’ve beaten this horse to death, perhaps this one-trick pony is due for the glue factory.”Of course, Harry and Meghan would have you believe they are about so much more than their own story.”The brand they believe they are building through their media company, Archewell Productions, is meant to be about all the social causes and charities they support.

    “Their game plan has always been, Come for the sob story, stay for the high-minded uplift. But that’s a shaky strategy for keeping an audience around that probably doesn’t care about anything either of them has to say that isn’t royal gossip.”

  • Dolly Parton pledges personal $1m donation to Hurricane Helene relief efforts

    Dolly Parton announced a personal donation of $1m (£761,660) towards Hurricane Helene relief efforts, declaring it was time for her to “step up again.”The Category 4 storm caused widespread destruction and claimed more than 200 lives including one-month-old twin babies in Thomson, Georgia.Speaking outside a Walmart in her home state of Tennessee on Friday, the 78-year-old explained that the money would come from her own bank account and her local commercial ventures, including Dollywood amusement park – would match the donation to the Mountain Ways Foundation.Walmart had announced an increase in its recovery efforts funding to $10m (£7.6m).

  • Donald Trump’s Swipe at Meghan Offers Welcome Relief for Harry

    Donald Trump labeled Meghan Markle “terrible,” but vowed not to deport Prince Harry over his past drug use—in an unexpected blow to campaigners who say he should not have been admitted to U.S.

    Asked whether he would throw Harry out of the country, the president told the New York Post: “I don’t want to do that. I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”

    Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
    Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend the 2025 Invictus Games, in Vancouver, on February 9, 2025.

    Why It Matters

    The president spoke out shortly before the opening ceremony of Prince Harry’s Invictus Games tournament for wounded veterans, which this year takes place in Canada.

    And that makes the timing of his comments particularly pertinent after recent speculation in British newspapers that Harry was scared to leave the U.S. for fear he would not be allowed to return.

    Harry is fiercely protective of Meghan and often reacts badly to criticism of her, but in this case it is his detractors who have the greater reason for disappointment.

    What to Know

    Right-wing think tank the Heritage Foundation sued Joe Biden’s former administration seeking access to Prince Harry’s visa records, arguing he should have been denied entry into America due to experiences with drugs. He described taking cocaine, cannabis, magic mushrooms and ayahuasca in his book Spare.

    They had talked up the idea of Trump deporting Harry in comments ahead of the November election.

    However, Harry and Meghan did not campaign against Trump in the 2024 election, despite having taken several veiled swipes at him in 2020.

    That may well have helped make Harry a low priority for Trump at a time when he has other fish to fry.

    The Telegraph speculated in January that Prince Harry may have settled a lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch’s media empire in part to avoid him having to leave America to give evidence at the High Court in London.

    The newspaper may well have been wrong about that, and Harry has certainly indicated previously that he is not a fan of the reporter who wrote the piece, but Trump’s comments were needless to say timely, given that Harry had left America to host the games in Canada at the point they were published.

    What People Are Saying

    Donald Trump told the Post: “I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”

    Mike Howell, executive director of the think tank’s Oversight Project, told Newsweek in September: “President Trump has already suggested that Prince Harry will be deported next year and the case for that just got a lot more compelling.”

    Prince Harry gave a speech at the opening ceremony of Invictus a day after Trump’s remark: “In this moment of difficulty and division in many parts of the world, we gather here in Vancouver in a spirit of unity.”

    What Happens Next

    Legal experts always said Harry would not under normal circumstances be deported without a criminal conviction for drugs offenses, but Trump’s return to the White House was a wild card that meant anything seemed possible.

    The president’s latest comments remove a major threat to Harry and Meghan’s U.S. lives, but there is still a headache in the background for them.

    Heritage’s lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security appears to be heading toward a partial release of some of the prince’s immigration papers, albeit with redactions.

    On the one hand, the result could exonerate Harry over the allegation he may have lied on his application. On the other, there may be awkward aspects to his records that emerge.

    For example, it is still not publicly known when Harry applied for his visa, but some Sussex critics have long accused the duke and duchess of secretly planning their royal exit since at least summer 2019, months before they said, in early 2020, they wanted to spend more time in North America. The couple have also never said what type of visa Harry has.

    The coming weeks may, therefore, still hold some potential bear traps for the prince, depending on what the paperwork says.

  • Donald Trump Hits Out at Taylor Swift After Chiefs Super Bowl Loss

    Donald Trump hit out at Taylor Swift after the Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl on Sunday.

    Trump, who was the first sitting United States president to attend the Super Bowl, took to Truth Social to share several posts aimed at the singer, who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

    “The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift,” Trump, 78, wrote on the social-media platform. “She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!”

    The president shared side-by-side videos, too—one of which was of him and his daughter, Ivanka Trump, clapping alongside loud cheers from inside the Caesars Superdrome in New Orleans. The other clip was of Swift being booed by the same audience.

    The president also reshared a post from Libs of TikTok, which read: “Trump gets massive cheers at the Super Bowl while Taylor Swift gets booed.—The world is healing!”

    Libs of TikTok is a social-media account run by Chaya Raichik. It boasts millions of followers including celebrities such as Joe Rogan, Elon Musk, Caitlyn Jenner, Roseanne Barr, Kid Rock, Rob Schneider, Jack Osbourne and more.

    Back in September, Trump said, “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” on Truth Social after the 14-time Grammy-winner endorsed Kamala Harris for president.

    Taylor Swift Donald Trump Super Bowl LIX
    Stock photos: Taylor Swift and inset, President Donald Trump, look on during Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome on February 9, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

    The Eagles took home the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning 40-22 against the Chiefs.

    Eagles’ quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was named the 2025 Super Bowl MVP, said he was still processing his team’s victory in a press conference after the game.

    “It’s been a long journey; it’s been a journey of ups and downs and highs and lows and I’ve always stayed true to it,” the 26-year-old said, before giving his team praise. “You don’t do great things without the guys around you—so the effort, the work always leaning on that, trusting in that and trusting the process and staying the course and sticking to the script.”

    Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes, 29, shared a message with fans via X, formerly Twitter, that quickly went viral after the Super Bowl.

    “Appreciate all the love and support from #ChiefsKingdom I let y’all down today,” Mahomes said in a post that had over 3 million views at the time of publication. “I’ll always continue to work and try and learn and be better for it. Want to give thanks to God for every opportunity he has given me. We will be back.”

    Last week, Trump praised Mahomes and his wife, Brittany Mahomes, on Truth Social over the birth of their third child, daughter Golden Raye.

    “Congratulations to the Chiefs GREAT Quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, and his very beautiful and BRILLIANT wife, Brittany, on the birth of their new baby daughter, Golden Raye,” Trump said on Thursday ahead of the Super Bowl. “This is what I call a baby with great genes, both mother and father. It’s happy times in the wonderful Mahomes family. See you all on Sunday!

  • Brad Pitt and ‘exhausted’ Angelina Jolie reach divorce settlement after eight years

    Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt‘s contentious divorce has come to an end, with the Hollywood stars agreeing to a settlement.

    The deal comes more than eight years after Jolie and Pitt separated, with the former’s lawyer James Simon stating: “Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved this one part is over.”

    Simon, confirming news of the settlement to The Associated Press, said in a statement: “More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr Pitt. She and the children left all of the properties they had shared with Mr Pitt, and since that time she has focused on finding peace and healing for their family.

    “This is just one part of a long ongoing process that started eight years ago.”

    However, while the former married couple have reached a deal, court documents are yet to be filed – and a judge will need to sign off on the settlement.

    No details of the agreement were immediately revealed, and the couple’s use of a private judge – an increasingly common move among splitting celebrities in recent years – has kept the proceedings largely under wraps.

    But some details have been revealed through a separate lawsuit filed by Pitt, in which he alleged Jolie reneged on an agreement that the actor-director would sell him her half of a French winery the two owned together.

    The Independent has contacted Pitt’s lawyer for comment.

    Jolie and Pitt have been entangled in a legal battle over Jolie’s shares of their jointly purchased winery since 2022, when the Girl, Interrupted Oscar winner allegedly sold her part of the French Château Miraval to a Russian oligarch.

    After Pitt sued his ex-wife for the alleged selling of her shares, Jolie countersued the Fight Club star. In the countersuit, Jolie disclosed new details of alleged abusive behaviour during a 2016 private jet ride that ultimately led to their divorce.

    Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have reached a divorce settlement after eight years
    Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have reached a divorce settlement after eight years

    While AP reports it is not clear how the divorce agreement will affect that lawsuit, MailOnline claims this particular battle will continue.

    Jolie, 49, and Pitt, 61, were among Hollywood’s most prominent couples for 12 years. The two Oscar winners have six children together.

    Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, after a private jet flight from Europe during which she said Pitt was abusive toward her and their children. A judge in 2019 declared them divorced and single, but the splitting of assets and child custody needed to be separately settled.A private judge – one the pair had hired to handle the case – reached a decision soon after, and it included equal custody of their children. But Jolie filed to have him removed from the case over an unreported conflict of interest.

    Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt in 2016
    Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt in 2016 (Getty Images)

    When an appeals court agreed, the judge was removed, and the couple had to start over.

  • Michael Jackson film ‘thrown into chaos’ ahead of planned release date

    Report claims that the film’s creators are now facing costly reshoots ahead of its planned release in October

    A film based on the life of Michael Jackson has reportedly run into trouble over the plot, which is said to depict allegations the singer’s estate have been banned from dramatising.It was announced in January last year that Michael, directed by Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua and starring the late king of pop’s nephew Jaafar Jackson in the lead role, would be released in October 2025.

    However, a new report claims the film, one of the year’s most anticipated, will be delayed due to its portrayal of the case of then-13-year-old Jordan Chandler.

    In 1993, Chandler made headlines around the world when he testified in court documents that Jackson had engaged in “sexual offensive contacts”. Jackson settled with the Chandlers out of court for a reported total sum of $23m – he was never charged over the allegations.

    Puck co-founder and journalist Matthew Belloni reports that the film’s third act, in particular, “hinges specifically on the impact of the Chandler circus” – and suggests the ending will have to be re-scripter and re-shot.

    Belloni said: “In the script I read – which I’m told was close to final, but obviously these things are often revised – a tense sequence involves Branca (Teller), Johnnie Cochran (Derek Luke), and other Jackson lawyers discussing whether to pay off Chandler and his family.”

    “At one point, the lawyers play the infamous recording, submitted in court, of Jordan’s father threatening to leverage his son’s accusations to ‘destroy’ his ex-wife and Jackson’s career.

    Antoine Fuqua is the director behind a forthcoming Michael Jackson biopicopen image in galleryAntoine Fuqua is the director behind a forthcoming Michael Jackson biopic (2018 Invision)

    The problem, he reported, is that the Jackson team allegedly signed an agreement that prohibits them from ever dramatising the Chandler family or their story, which would render much of the storyline and “several key scenes” unusable”.

    Belloni claims that the revelation was only made after shooting had wrapped on the project, which has a rumoured budget of around $150m. The issue is reportedly threatening to scupper the project entirely if Universal decides to bail instead of signing off on necessary but costly reshoots, Puck claims.

    However, he added that his sources are “confident” and “hopeful” that the issues will be resolved ahead of the October release date.

    The Independent has contacted representatives for the Michael Jackson Estate, Universal, Fuqua and King for comment.

    Michael Jackson settled the case with Jordan Chandler and his family for a reported total sum of $23m
    Michael Jackson settled the case with Jordan Chandler and his family for a reported total sum of $23m

    The movie is based on a script by John Logan, behind films including Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator, and the James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre.

    Fuqua said in an interview last year that the film would “tell the facts as we know it, about the artist, about the man, about the human being. You know, the good, bad, and the ugly.”Graham King (Bohemian Rhapsody) is co-producing with John Branca and John McClain, executors of the Michael Jackson Estate.In a previous interview, Fuqua said that 27-year-old Jaafar, who is the son of the “Thriller” star’s brother and Jackson 5 bandmate Jermaine Jackson, was the stand-out choice to play his uncle.“It’s uncanny how much he’s like Michael,” he said. “Sounds like him, dances like him, sings. It’s really uncanny. [King], who is a fantastic producer, found him, and introduced him to me, and I was blown away.”

    Other cast members for Michael include Colman Domingo as Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, Nia Long as his mother Katherine Jackson, and Miles Teller as Branca.

    Jaafar Jackson was cast as his uncle, Michael Jackson, in the film
    Jaafar Jackson was cast as his uncle, Michael Jackson, in the film

    In March, Dan Reed, the director behind the Jackson documentary Leaving Neverland, called out the creators behind Michael for allegedly ignoring the abuse accusations against him.

    He claimed to have seen a draft script for Furqua’s forthcoming film and called it a “complete whitewash”.

    The Jackson Estate vehemently denies the claims that the singer sexually abused young boys and the allegations were never proven in court; Jackson was acquitted of child molestation in 2005.

    It sued HBO over Leaving Neverland in 2019 following its release , arguing that the network violated a non-disparagement clause. The case is still going through the courts; the estate unsuccessfully subpoenaed Reed for his footage.

    In August, the estate’s $600m sale of a portion of Jackson’s songs to Sony Music was approved by a Los Angeles appeals court, in spite of his mother Katherine’s objections.

  • Trump to Unleash Musk, DOGE on Military: Expects to Find ‘Fraud and Abuse’

    Trump to Unleash Musk, DOGE on Military: Expects to Find ‘Fraud and Abuse’

    Why It MattersMusk and his DOGE team, which is an unofficial task force created by executive order, have upended federal institutions as they seek to gut what Trump and Republicans have alleged is gross overspending and mismanagement of funds.Some of the moves, such as the attempt to freeze all federal grants and loans, have prompted fierce backlash from Democrats and some public quarters, while others have applauded the aggressive pursuit of fat trimming.Last week, courts started to knockback some of Musk’s efforts, such as his attempt to access sensitive payment systems at the Treasury Department or to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

    However, Musk continues to seek unfettered access to internal data of agencies across the government, including the Labor Department, U.S. Treasury, Office of Personnel Management, General Services Administration, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Small Business Administration and more.

    What To Know

    In a pre-taped interview with Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier, Trump revealed that he is set to turn Musk loose on the Pentagon and the DOE.

    “I don’t know if it’s kickbacks or what’s going on, but the people—look, I ran on this, and the people want me to find it, and I’ve had a great help with Elon Musk, who’s been terrific,” Trump said, adding that Musk “is not gaining anything” through his work at DOGE.

    Trump added: “Then I’m going to tell him, very soon, like, maybe in 24 hours, to go check through the Department of Education. He’s going to find the same thing. Then I’m going to go to the military, let’s check the military. We’re going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse, the people elected me on that.”

    What Happens Next?

    Trump said he would give the order possibly within 24 hours to hit the DOE, but no timeline for when he might order a review of the military. Democrats have pushed back on a number of his previous orders with lawsuits, and they may do the same to try and protect the education department.

    This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

    Tesla, SpaceX and X CEO Elon Musk gestures while speaking during an inauguration event at Capital One Arena on January 20 in Washington, D.C.

  • Valerie Bertinelli Says She Was ‘Shaking’ and ‘Weeping Uncontrollably’ During Anxiety Attack

    Valerie Bertinelli

    Valerie Bertinelli was “incredibly vulnerable” with fans while detailing a recent panic attack.The actress and celebrity chef admitted in an Instagram video caption on Sunday, November 17, that she had been waiting to post “for a day” before uploading the clip of her hand shaking.

    “I’m posting because we’re all out here doing our best having a human experience and none of us want to feel like we’re alone in that,” Bertinelli, 64, wrote, noting that she took a “deep breath” before sharing the full story.

    “I don’t know if you can tell from this video (and my heart is still beating a little rapidly as I write this) I had a really bad anxiety attack today,” the actress shared. “I haven’t had one like this in a very, very long time. A few hours ago, I was weeping uncontrollably, and my heart felt like it was pounding out of my chest. I couldn’t stop shaking.”

    Bertinelli said she was “taking a chance” by publicly discussing her anxiety.

    “I want to share it because I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one out here who has experienced this. Gratefully these attacks have become much more infrequent, so this one took me a little bit by surprise today. This is the after effect,” she explained. “As I’m going through the actual attack (lol attack is such an appropriate word. My body and my mind feels like it’s actually under attack 😅) Anyway … I almost disassociate and am focused solely on calming down and finding any road to a more relaxed and peaceful body.”

    Bertinelli told followers that her brain is “overthinking and catastrophizing” during these attacks, which makes her body go “into overdrive.” The actress noted that she has “no control.”

    The shaking hand that was shown in the video appeared to be taken hours after Bertinelli experienced the panic attack — even after she attempted to meditate as a method to calm down.

    “Part of me is fascinated by what the human body is capable of when our feelings can get in the way or override any reasonable thought and another part of me is just curious on how all of this happens,” she added. “You know the weird neuropathies in our brain and how it affects our bodies, what feelings (which are just information btw) are and why are they so powerful that they make our body go into overdrive.”

    Bertinelli has not been shy when sharing intimate details of her life on social media. In April, the star praised the community she created on Instagram after sharing a series of updates.

    “I truly love this community that we have built here,” she wrote at the time. “Thank you for sticking around. Through the challenging and through the sweet.”

  • What Trump REALLY meant when he said the US would take over Gaza

    Donald Trump elevated his brand of divisive, swashbuckling rhetoric to new heights earlier this week when he declared the United States could ‘take over the Gaza Strip… and own it’ following the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

    The outlandish statement, in which the US President said he could rebuild Gaza to make it the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’ while resettling close to 2 million Palestinians in Jordan and Egypt, sparked a torrent of condemnation from the global community.

    A spokesperson for the United Nations labelled the notion ‘tantamount to ethnic cleansing’, while leaders of the Arab world decried it as a blatant violation of international law.

    What’s more, a US-led takeover of Gaza would seemingly betray an integral part of Trump’s campaign promise and his ‘America First’ rhetoric – namely, to scale down America’s military and political involvement in the Middle East.

    But what politicians say and what politicians mean are often two different things.

    What appears at first to be nothing more than an inflammatory harebrained scheme at best could conceal a more calculated strategy.

    Dissecting Trump’s comments within the broader context of his presidency so far, along with the messaging from his advisers and conservative think tanks, reveals a few approaches the so-called ‘leader of the free world’ may have in mind.

    On one end of the scale, experts suggest Trump’s bold proposal may be aimed at pressuring regional parties into taking responsibility for Gaza’s future governance and funding its reconstruction.

    At the other end of the scale, some have posited that the US could seek to make Gaza a protectorate, preventing Israel from occupying the land and providing an ‘interim solution to pave the way for self-governance’.

    And then, there are those who believe Trump is quite simply setting out to fundamentally reshape international norms, with the US set to profit. 

    Donald Trump elevated his brand of divisive, swashbuckling rhetoric to new heights earlier this week when he declared the United States could ‘take over the Gaza Strip… and own it’

    Palestinians walk through the rubble of Gaza city

    Palestinians surrounded by destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip on February 5

    In the same way that Trump has leveraged the threat of tariffs to bully Canada and Mexico into making pledges to beef up border security and crack down on drug trafficking, his proposal to take over Gaza could be a harsh negotiation tactic.

    Dr Andreas Krieg, a leading expert on the Middle East and Senior Lecturer at King’s College London’s School of Security Studies, told MailOnline that Trump is likely trying to ‘squeeze concessions from and twist the arms of regional powers’ – a move described by critics as ‘geopolitical blackmail’.

    Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia are among the states who have roundly condemned Israel’s brutal war in Gaza and advocated for a two-state solution – but their support of the Palestinian plight has not extended beyond political grandstanding. 

    After the conflict erupted following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, each nation was quick to refuse any suggestion that they absorb large numbers of displaced Palestinians and have remained quiet about the prospect of rebuilding Gaza. 

    By floating an idea as extreme as a US takeover of the territory, Trump may be attempting to force those claiming to support Palestine to intervene and prevent such a wild notion from manifesting. 

    ‘He’s trying to make (Arab partners) come to the negotiation table and say, ‘Okay, we’re going to sort this out, we’re going to pay for reconstruction, we’ll take charge when it comes to rebuilding a governance, a structure authority’,’ Krieg said. 

    ‘The Gulf states should come up and say, ‘Look, anything is better than having the Americans go there, and then ethnically cleanse the territory’. 

    ‘It’s the same way he’s doing it with Canada, with Mexico as well. It’s up to them to come up with a plan C. He’s throwing an absurd demand out there that freaks everyone else out. (Trump wants) them to say ‘Okay, let’s try to find a solution that’s somewhere in the middle.’

    Donald Trump with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday where Trump outlined an extraordinary new plan for the Middle East, with the United States taking over the war-torn Gaza strip while its Palestinian population is moved to neighboring countries

    An aerial view of the destruction in the northern Gaza Strip as Palestinians attempt to move forward following the ceasefire

    Former Israeli intelligence officer and regional analyst Avi Melamed agreed with Krieg’s position. 

    ‘Trump’s statement is possibly part of what’s now emerging as his modus operandi – making tough and blunt statements and taking harsh positions to force his adversaries to break from their entrenched positions.