President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States “will take over” the Gaza Strip — possibly with the help of American troops — while the Palestinians who live there should leave, a stunning proposal that would dramatically reorient the Middle East and subject a population of more than a million to further displacement.
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too,” Trump said during a joint press conference alongside his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, later describing his vision for the area as a new “Riviera.”
“We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings,” he said.
Asked whether he was willing to send US troops to fill a security vacuum in Gaza, Trump did not rule it out.
“As far as Gaza is concerned, we’ll do what is necessary. If it’s necessary, we’ll do that. We’re going to take over that piece that we’re going to develop it,” he said.
Trump’s comments are a remarkable assertion from a sitting American president, particularly one who rose to political power in the United States through his criticism of America’s longest wars in the Middle East and pledges to return US investments back to its citizens.
They open a host of questions about how Trump’s land-grab would proceed, what its legal authorities would be and who would pay for the effort.
“I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East, and maybe the entire Middle East,” Trump told reporters in the East Room of the White House.
He said later: “This was not a decision made lightly. Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent.”
There will be many in the region who oppose Trump’s plan, despite his claim that all of his interlocutors love it. Already, Egypt and Jordan have rejected the notion of accepting additional Palestinian refugees, wary of destabilization and fearful they will never be allowed back home.
Trump suggested that was exactly what he envisioned: a future in Gaza that largely does not involve Palestinians.
“I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza,” Trump said in the Oval Office earlier in the day. “I heard that Gaza has been very unlucky for them. They live like hell. They live like they’re living in hell. Gaza is not a place for people to be living, and the only reason they want to go back, and I believe this strongly, is because they have no alternative.”
Later, he added that Palestinians could be among those who return to Gaza, but he was clear he did not envision the strip as a permanent home for them. (CNN)