The latest reports out of Jerusalem say the United States is preparing to build a $500 million military facility on or near the Israel-Gaza border, a move that would represent a major escalation of American involvement in the region. Israeli media say the project could be the first large-scale U.S. military installation on Israeli soil and might host thousands of personnel according to the initial reporting. This is the sort of expensive, open-ended commitment that should make every taxpayer and every member of Congress sit up and ask hard questions.
At the same time negotiators are reportedly arranging for roughly 200 Hamas fighters holed up in tunnels in Rafah to be surrendered and deported — an eyebrow-raising concession if true. The maps of this deal are messy: the fighters are to be exiled outside the Palestinian territories, yet so far no country has agreed to accept them, creating a practical and moral dilemma. The messy logistics and murky accountability around this transfer are not details to gloss over while we build fortresses abroad.
Conservatives should be clear-eyed: putting a large American base on Israeli soil — and the talk that several thousand troops could be stationed there — smells like mission creep. We fought for a foreign policy that protects American interests, not endless nation-building or bailouts of foreign governance failures. If the administration thinks moving Americans closer to active conflict zones is a solution, they owe the public a full, unvarnished explanation of the plan, the mission, and the exit strategy.
To be fair about what’s on the ground now, the U.S. does already have a modest presence in southern Israel — roughly 200 military personnel working at a Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat to monitor and coordinate the ceasefire and aid flows. Those specialists are not supposed to be deployed inside Gaza, and the current footprint is orders of magnitude smaller than the storm of headlines about a new base. Any expansion beyond that limited role should be debated openly and approved by the people’s representatives.
The idea of exiling 200 terrorists with no country willing to host them is not just a diplomatic headache — it’s a security nightmare. You cannot paper over threats with cheap PR by shipping violent actors somewhere else and pretending the problem is solved; history shows that relocated terrorists regroup, radicalize others, and threaten new targets. If the administration signs off on deportations without ironclad guarantees and monitoring, they will be gambling with Israeli and American lives.
This is a moment for conservative principles: fiscal responsibility, clear mission objectives, and the protection of American blood and treasure. Building a half-billion-dollar facility and deepening military entanglement should not occur behind closed doors or as a side effect of hostage negotiations. Congress must insist on oversight, budgetary transparency, and legally binding assurances that no American combat troops will be committed to a widening war.
Above all, we must stand firmly with Israel’s right to defend its citizens while refusing to be dragged into open-ended nation-building on foreign soil. The American people deserve leadership that secures real peace and real security — not another costly foreign quagmire that leaves taxpayers footing the bill and our troops paying the price.
