United States President Donald Trump has stated the US will “take over” and “personal” Gaza after resettling Palestinians elsewhere beneath a rare redevelopment plan that he claimed may flip the enclave into “the Riviera of the Center East”.
In a shock announcement upending a long time of US coverage in the direction of the Israeli-Palestinian battle, Trump stated on Tuesday that his administration would spearhead financial improvement within the enclave to “provide limitless numbers of jobs and housing for the individuals of the world”.
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we are going to do a job with it, too. We’ll personal it,” Trump stated on the White Home after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including that his administration can be liable for clearing destroyed buildings and dismantling “harmful unexploded bombs and different weapons”.
Hamas, the Palestinian group that governs Gaza, swiftly condemned the proposal as a “recipe for creating chaos and pressure within the area”.
“Our individuals within the Gaza Strip is not going to permit these plans to cross,” the group stated in an announcement.
“What’s required is an finish to the occupation and aggression towards our individuals, not their expulsion from their land. Our individuals in Gaza have thwarted displacement and deportation plans beneath bombardment for greater than 15 months.”
In his remarks, Trump recommended the US would take a “long-term possession place” over the enclave.
“This was not a choice made calmly. Everyone I’ve spoken to loves the thought of the US proudly owning that piece of land, creating and creating 1000’s of jobs with one thing that will probably be magnificent,” he stated.
Providing few specifics about how his plan can be carried out, Trump expressed hope that displaced Palestinians in Gaza would “go to different nations of curiosity with humanitarian hearts”, although he recommended Palestinians would additionally proceed residing there.
The US president stated Gaza may turn out to be dwelling to the “world’s individuals”.
“I believe you’ll make that into a world, unbelievable place. I believe the potential within the Gaza Strip is unbelievable. And I believe the whole world – representatives from everywhere in the world will probably be there they usually’ll stay there. Palestinians additionally, Palestinians will stay there,” he stated.
“Many individuals will stay there.”
Requested if US troopers might be despatched to Gaza to keep up safety, Trump stated it was a chance.
“So far as Gaza is anxious, we’ll do what is critical. If it’s crucial, we’ll try this,” he stated.
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we are going to do a job with it, too.” –President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/aCqLl9Gwwn
— President Donald J. Trump (@POTUS) February 5, 2025
Netanyahu, who praised Trump because the “best pal” Israel has ever had, stated the US president’s plan was value “taking note of” and will “change historical past”.
“He sees a unique future for that piece of land that has been the main target of a lot terrorism, so many assaults towards us, so many trials and so many tribulations,” Netanyahu stated.
Trump’s announcement was broadly condemned by Palestinian advocates.
“He’s primarily saying that, formally, US coverage now’s the destruction of Palestinian society, the scattering of Palestinians to neighbouring nations, and on high of that, for the US to return and personal Palestinian territory indefinitely,” political analyst and human rights advocate Omar Baddar instructed Al Jazeera.
“I don’t know what planet we live on the place these statements are popping out of the president of the US.”
Abed Ayoub, government director on the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), described Trump’s proposal as “terrifying” and “insane”.
“It might go towards all norms and worldwide legislation. This isn’t one thing that will be permitted to occur,” Ayoub instructed Al Jazeera.
“However at this level, you’ve received to ask your self if you happen to take a look at the previous 12 months and a half: How a lot does the worldwide group, together with Israel, actually care about worldwide legislation and norms?”
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Palestinian-American who’s a resident senior fellow on the Atlantic Council, stated that Gaza was not a “actual property improvement venture for the US authorities to personal or take over”.
“Gaza belongs to the Palestinian individuals. Distracting from the necessity to provoke political transformation to make sure that Hamas doesn’t stay in management is pointless and dangerous,” Alkhatib stated on X.
Democratic lawmakers additionally solid doubt on Trump’s proposal.
Rashida Tlaib, the only real Palestinian member of the US Congress, accused Trump of “overtly calling for ethnic cleaning whereas sitting subsequent to a genocidal conflict prison.”
“He’s completely high quality slicing off working People from federal funds whereas the funding to the Israeli authorities continues flowing,” Tlaib, who represents a district in Michigan within the Home of Representatives, stated on X.
Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator for Connecticut, stated Trump’s proposal was an try to distract from controversies at dwelling.
“I’ve information for you – we aren’t taking up Gaza,” Murphy stated on X. “However the media and the chattering class will concentrate on it for a number of days and Trump can have succeeded in distracting everybody from the true story – the billionaires seizing authorities to steal from common individuals.”
Trump has repeatedly known as on Egypt and Jordan to simply accept displaced Palestinians, however the Arab states have rejected his appeals, warning that resettling residents of the enclave would threat exacerbating battle within the area and subvert efforts to achieve a two-state answer.
Responding to Trump’s proposals, Saudi Arabia stated it might oppose any try to displace Palestinians and wouldn’t set up relations with Israel with out the creation of a Palestinian state.
“The proposal for Gazans to go away Gaza would face important authorized, political, and sensible challenges, and would possible be met with robust opposition from the worldwide group and regional actors,” Alam Saleh, a Center East skilled on the Australian Nationwide College, instructed Al Jazeera.
Trump’s extraordinary proposal casts a pall of uncertainty over the subsequent spherical of negotiations to increase the delicate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The preliminary 42-day truce, which can see the discharge of 33 Israeli captives and almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, expires on March 1.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Palestinian group Hamas stated that negotiations for a second section of the ceasefire had begun. If agreed to, that section would see the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the releasing of all captives.
Trump on Tuesday solid doubt on the energy of the settlement and the probability it might final.
“The strikes may begin tomorrow,” Trump stated. “There’s not so much left to strike.”