President Donald Trump revealed an extraordinary plan Tuesday for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip, resettle Palestinians in other countries – seemingly whether they wanted to leave or not – and turn the territory into "the Riviera of the Middle East."
Trump made the stunning proposal to audible gasps during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he was hosting at the White House for talks.
In a scheme that lacked details on how he would move out more than two million Palestinians or control Gaza, Trump said he would make the war-battered enclave "unbelievable" by removing unexploded bombs and rubble and economically redeveloping it.
"The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We'll own it," Trump said.
He said there was support from the "highest leadership" in the Middle East and upped pressure on Egypt and Jordan to take displaced Gazans – despite both countries and the Palestinians flatly rejecting the surprise idea.
Suggesting "long-term ownership" by the United States, Trump said his plan for Gaza would make it "the Riviera of the Middle East. This could be something that could be so magnificent."
Key US ally Netanyahu said Trump's plan could "change history" and was worth "paying attention to."
Netanyahu was making the first visit of a foreign leader to the White House since Trump's return to power, for what were billed as talks on securing a second phase of the Israel-Hamas truce after an initial six-week ceasefire.
But it quickly turned into the shock revelation of a plan that would completely transform the face of the Middle East.
Trump, who also floated traveling to Gaza, appeared to suggest it would not be rebuilt for Palestinians.
"It should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have... lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there," he said.
The Palestinian envoy to the UN had pushed back strongly at Trump's suggestions earlier Tuesday – before his proposal the United States take the territory over – for his people to be resettled.
"Our homeland is our homeland," said Riyad Mansour.
"And I think that leaders and people should respect the wishes of the Palestinian people."
Gazans have also denounced Trump's resettlement idea. "Trump thinks Gaza is a pile of garbage – absolutely not," said 34-year-old Hatem Azzam, a resident of the southern city of Rafah.
Trump was vague on the details of how he would execute the takeover plan, but hinted that it could require US boots on the ground in one of the most volatile places on earth "if necessary."
It is not the first time the former property tycoon has spoken about the Palestinian territory in terms of real estate, saying in October it could be "better than Monaco."
Standing at a podium beside Trump, Netanyahu hailed Trump as Israel's "greatest friend" and praised his "willingness to think outside the box."
The two have had tense relations in the past, but Netanyahu has seized on the Republican's return to power after his ties with former president Joe Biden became increasingly strained over the death toll in Gaza since Israel's invasion.
The Israeli leader would not rule out a return to hostilities with Hamas, or with its other foes in the region including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iran.
"We will end the war by winning the war," Netanyahu insisted, while also vowing to secure the return of all hostages held by Hamas.
He did voice confidence that a deal with regional rival Saudi Arabia to normalize relations was "going to happen."
But after Trump aired his proposal, Saudi Arabia said it would not formalize ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state is established.
Trump's grand Gaza plan however is set to face harsh opposition from Palestinians and Middle Eastern countries.
Egypt, Jordan and ceasefire mediator Qatar have all flatly rejected Trump's suggestion of moving Palestinians from Gaza.
International Reactions
Palestinian militant group Hamas lashed out Wednesday at President Donald Trump's shock proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and resettle its people in other countries, seemingly whether they want to leave or not.
Turkey's top diplomat on Wednesday also reacted to President Donald Trump's proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and resettle Palestinians in other countries.
"This is an unacceptable issue," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the official news agency Anadolu in broadcast comments.
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich vowed on Wednesday to "definitively bury" the idea of a Palestinian state, after US President Donald Trump announced proposals to "take over" and "own" the Gaza Strip.
"The plan presented yesterday (Tuesday) by President Trump is the real answer to October 7," Smotrich said, referring to the 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war. "We will now work to definitively bury... the dangerous idea of a Palestinian state," he added on his Telegram account.
France said Wednesday that Gaza should not be controlled by a third party after President Donald Trump said the United States should take over the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
"France will continue to campaign for the implementation of the two-state solution, the only one that can guarantee long-term peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike," the foreign ministry said, adding the future of Gaza must not involve "control by a third state".
The Gaza Strip "belongs to the Palestinians", German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Wednesday after President Donald Trump suggested that the United States should take over the war-ravaged territory.
"The civilian population of Gaza must not be expelled and Gaza must not be permanently occupied or repopulated," Baerbock said in a statement. "It is clear that Gaza –- like the West Bank and east Jerusalem –- belongs to the Palestinians. They form the basis for a future Palestinian state."
With AFP
Comments