A joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, Trump explained a US plan to take over the Gaza Strip. The US President shared that he wants the US to control and rebuild the war-torn Gaza Strip, after the Palestinian residents are relocated to neighboring countries. The US would be responsible for removing all unexploded bombs and other weapons in the area, Trump said before journalists. The area would be cleared and if necessary, US troops would be sent.
Trump mentioned the possibility of sending US troops to the Gaza Strip, stating, “If it’s necessary, we’ll do it. I see a long-term position of self-responsibility and I see that it will bring great stability to this part of the Middle East.”
The proposal’s brash aspect, the suggestion of relocating the approximately two million Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip to neighboring countries like Egypt and Jordan, has caused irritation. Trump claims that the region’s state and government leaders support his idea, but did not provide information on how the relocation would be implemented.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu praised Trump’s proposals, calling them “a look beyond the horizon with fresh ideas” and added, “Our goal is for Gaza never to be a threat to Israel again and President Trump is taking this step.”
Trump then described his vision of transforming Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” “Everyone I’ve spoken to” Trump said, without naming individuals, “loves the idea.” “We’ll create thousands and thousands of jobs. I don’t want to be the wise guy, but it could be the Riviera of the Middle East” he explained.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced his support for the controversial proposal from Washington, stating, “Gaza must be free from Hamas. As the President announced today, the United States is ready to take the lead and make Gaza beautiful again. Our goal is a lasting peace in the region for all people.”
Critical voices in the Arab world, however, spoke of a planned “ethnic cleansing” of the Gaza region. Egypt and Jordan, as well as the Palestinians, have thus far unequivocally rejected the proposal. A Hamas official described the proposal as “a recipe for the creation of chaos and tensions in the region” and stated that the people of Gaza “will not allow these plans.”
Saudi Arabia, according to US media, confirmed its “unshakeable support” for a Palestinian state. The relations with Israel would not normalize without such guarantees. Two unnamed Arab officials expressed themselves as “surprised and concerned” and told the US-based CNN that this is “hard to understand and digest.”
The announcement has sparked international widespread criticism. Human rights organizations condemned the proposal as a form of ethnic cleansing and emphasized that forced relocations violate international law. Paul O’Brien, the head of Amnesty International USA, stated after the US plans were revealed, “Removing all Palestinians from the Gaza Strip comes close to their destruction as a people. The Gaza Strip is their home. The death and destruction in the Gaza Strip are a consequence of the Israeli government killing thousands of civilians, often with US bombs.