It was supposed to be the moment US President Donald Trump’s vision of bringing peace to the Middle East by redeveloping the war-torn Gaza strip into “Riviera” style premium housing and permanently relocating its more than 2 million residents finally got a reality check.

A marsh harrier sweeps across a meadow of tawny grass, flamingos cruise like pink arrows above a sapphire lagoon and in the distance, a golden jackal lets out a howl.

Mr. Trump’s America First vision is a one-way street that erects walls to keep illegal immigrants out but demands other territories give way to American security concerns, or development whims.

A former developer of skyscrapers, resorts and golf clubs, Donald Trump has reduced an enduring political conflict to a construction challenge.