President Donald Trump of the United States has reaffirmed his intention for the United States to take over Gaza permanently, calling the war-torn territory a “big real estate site” with unrealized potential. During his February 10 speech to reporters on Air Force One, Trump highlighted his goal of turning Gaza into a thriving center, asserting that it might become the “Riviera of the Middle East” under American leadership. In order to prevent Hamas from regaining ground, he proposed that the United States supervise the destruction of damaged infrastructure and work with Middle Eastern countries to reconstruct portions of the region.
Trump said that rather than going back to Gaza, displaced Palestinians—many of whom have been displaced several times by the conflict—would prefer to be resettled in safer areas. He said, “If we give them an alternative, they won’t want to go back,” but he didn’t elaborate on how such relocations would be made possible. Palestinian officials immediately reacted negatively to his comments. Izzat Al-Rishq, a Hamas official, called the idea “absurd,” claiming that Gaza is “an integral part of occupied Palestinian land” and not a commodity for trade.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Trump’s plan as a “revolutionary, creative vision” that supports Israel’s security objectives. According to Netanyahu, who recently met with Trump in Washington, the plan might change the destiny of the area by eschewing established structures such as the Palestinian Authority.
Netanyahu asserted that the idea might change the destiny of the region by eschewing established structures like the Palestinian Authority during a recent meeting with Trump in Washington. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan, among other Arab countries, denounced the proposal as a breach of international law and a danger to regional stability. In response to the “dangerous developments,” Egypt called an emergency Arab conference, while Saudi Arabia reiterated its support for Palestinian statehood.
The Fourth Geneva Convention would be violated if Palestinians were forcibly displaced, according to critics, who have brought up ethical and legal issues. Trump’s plan’s viability was also questioned by analysts, who pointed out the logistical difficulties of moving millions of people and the lack of precedence for such a territorial conquest. Despite these obstacles, Trump’s national security advisor, Mike Waltz, urged detractors to “come to the table with your plan” and presented the proposal as a calculated attempt to elicit alternate solutions from local stakeholders.
With discussions on army withdrawals and hostage releases stalled, the plan has further strained already tense peace talks between Israel and Hamas. The international world closely monitors the escalating tensions, concerned that the proposal might worsen humanitarian crises and thwart decades of diplomacy aiming at a two-state solution.
