Dr. Hagi Ben Artzi, historian, Bible teacher, and brother-in-law of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke to Arutz Sheva - Israel National News about what he defines as President Trump’s "messianic mission" to solve a decades-old problem for Israel and the opportunity he sees for historic change.
Dr. Hagi Ben Artzi says that, first of all, "President Trump had a great beginning. He has made excellent statements. As someone coming from the right-wing nationalist camp, I appreciate his words. His track record is impressive. He was the first world leader to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the first to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and the first to declare that the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are legal. His support for Israel has been remarkable.
"But now, what he’s proposing goes even further. In his second term, President Trump introduced an unprecedented plan: to relocate the refugees from Gaza and bring them to other places in the world. This is really unbelievable. For the first time, a world leader is willing to confront the core issue—the problem of the Palestinian refugees.”
Dr. Ben Artzi adds that this is “hugely significant. The refugee problem began in 1948, during the War of Independence. Nearly a million Arab refugees fled or were expelled from cities like Haifa, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Be’er Sheva. Most of those living in Gaza today are not native to the area—they are descendants of those refugees. Trump's plan, which proposes relocating these refugees to other countries, could solve a critical problem that has plagued Israel for nearly eight decades. The right of return claimed by the Palestinians is not just a political demand—it’s an existential threat to Israel. And now this is an opportunity; the President of the United States, not some fringe ideologue, such as a supporter of Rabbi Kahana, has proposed a plan to end it, to take control of Gaza. Without full control of Gaza, we would not be able to promote this plan. The next step must be to implement this plan."
Ben Artzi truly believes that "President Trump has a messianic mission, to help Israel solve the problem of the Palestinian refugees. Don’t let Netanyahu get away from this. Don’t let him forget about this main purpose of the war. In our tradition, King Cyrus of Persia was called a messiah for allowing the Jewish people to return to their land. Rabbi Avraham Isaac Kook saw even non-Jewish leaders, such as Lord Balfour, as agents of Divine Providence when they aided the Jewish people.
“Now it’s his turn. President Trump has the opportunity to be remembered in the same way. In Hebrew, each letter has a numerical value, and the numerical value of 'Donald Trump' is equal to 'Mashiach ben David' - Messiah the son of David. We cannot ignore this.”
Dr. Ben Artzi continues, “President Trump, you have a historic mission: to help Israel solve the problem of the refugees by advancing the relocation of the population of Gaza. Thank you very much, President Trump, for what you have done—and for what you are still going to do as a great supporter of Israel.”
Dr. Ben Artzi also has a message for his brother-in-law, Prime Minister Netanyahu: “The purpose of this war, as defined by the current government, was to defeat Hamas. That is important—but it is not enough. President Trump has given us a much larger vision: not only to defeat Hamas but to resolve the refugee problem, which became a problem seventy-seven years ago, once and for all.
“This is a historic opportunity. With the support of the President of the United States, this can be achieved. It is nothing short of miraculous. This is your opportunity, Bibi; this is your great chance to implement this plan. Do not miss this moment. You have been given a divine responsibility to elevate the State of Israel to a new level. History will remember you as the leader who resolved this decades-old crisis. Please look at our time with the understanding that you are a messenger of G-d to bring the State of Israel to a different level of existence,” Dr. Ben Artzi concluded.