(AFP) – President Donald Trump’s shock proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and resettle its people faced a resounding rejection from Palestinians, Middle East leaders, and governments around the world on Wednesday. Trump made his announcement 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 proposal 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 redeveloping it.
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it,” he said. He mentioned support from the “highest leadership” in the Middle East for his idea, but hours later, leaders of Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Turkey, China, Britain, France, and Germany hit back. Netanyahu, however, welcomed the idea, saying it could “change history” and was worth “paying attention to”. Suggesting “long-term ownership” by the United States, Trump stated his idea would make it “the Riviera of the Middle East. This could be something that could be so magnificent.”
Hamas, which seized sole control of Gaza in 2007, rejected the proposal, branding it “racist”. The group stated that the proposal to “occupy” the territory was “aggressive to our people and cause, won’t serve stability in the region and will only put oil on the fire”. Much of Gaza was leveled in a 15-month war triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, and Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for sealing a ceasefire agreement that took effect last month.
While Netanyahu’s visit to the White House was billed to focus on a second phase of the truce, it quickly turned into the revelation of a proposal that would, if implemented, completely transform 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.
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas rejected the proposal, stating “legitimate Palestinian rights are not negotiable” and that it would constitute a “serious violation” of international law. UN human rights chief Volker Turk asserted that deporting people from occupied territory was “strictly prohibited” under international law. It is not the first time that Trump has suggested Palestinians should move from Gaza. In recent days, he has cited Egypt and Jordan as possible destinations, but people from the territory have expressed their desire to stay. “We create dignity because we are the dignity here, and we say in short to Trump and Netanyahu, Palestine is not for sale,” said 24-year-old Gazan Ahmed al-Minawi.
For Palestinians, any attempts to force them out of Gaza would evoke dark memories of what the Arab world calls the “Nakba,” or catastrophe—the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s creation in 1948. Israelis in Jerusalem welcomed Trump’s proposal, though some did not believe it could be achieved. “I really like what he said, but in my wildest dreams (I doubt) if it happens, I don’t believe it, it’s hard for me to believe it will happen, but who knows, God knows,” said Refael, a 65-year-old massage therapist.
Trump was vague on the details, but hinted that it could require US boots on the ground in one of the most volatile places on earth “if necessary”. Egypt and Jordan have rejected any resettlement from Gaza, with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty calling for a swift reconstruction “without the Palestinians leaving”. Jordan’s King Abdullah II, in a meeting with Abbas, rejected “any attempts” to take control of Palestinian territories and displace people.
In Washington, Netanyahu hailed Trump as Israel’s “greatest friend” and praised his “willingness to think outside the box”. The Israeli premier 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 said, while vowing to secure the return of all hostages held in Gaza. He voiced confidence that a deal with regional rival Saudi Arabia to normalize relations was “going to happen”.
However, Saudi Arabia stated it would not formalize ties with Israel without a Palestinian state while rejecting any “attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land”. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also lashed out, saying relocating Palestinians was something “neither we nor the region can accept”. “They must be allowed home,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. “They must be allowed to rebuild, and we should be with them in that rebuild on the way to a two-state solution.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock asserted that Gaza “belongs to the Palestinians,” while Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian stated, “We are opposed to the forced transfer of the residents of Gaza.” The Gaza war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel’s retaliatory response has killed at least 47,518 people in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable.
© 2024 AFP
