On Wednesday, President Donald Trump pledged that the U.S. would take control of war-torn Gaza and transform it into a “Riviera of the Middle East” after relocating Palestinians elsewhere, upending decades of U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and inciting regional backlash. Speaking at a press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Trump did not provide details on how the U.S. would secure ownership of Gaza, a coastal strip 25 miles long and at most 6 miles wide, or how the area would be redeveloped. The unexpected proposal from Trump, a former New York real estate mogul, also contradicts long-standing U.S. policy that has supported a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.
Palestinians branded Trump’s remarks as the latest sign of his antipathy to their statehood aspirations. At the same time, Israeli critics said the president was seeking to deflect attention from the failure of a temporary ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza. Netanyahu would not be drawn into discussing the plan in depth, saying only that he praised Trump for trying to find a new approach.
The Gaza redevelopment project, which the president described as “world-class,” would be for all of the world’s people, including Palestinians, he said. Asked whether he was considering resettling the Palestinians in the redeveloped Gaza Strip as part of his vision, the president responded: “I have not. But I am certainly open to the fact that some may want to be relocated.”
Ahead of the news conference, the White House declined to say how and under what authority the U.S. might take over the Gaza Strip, which has a violent history that includes many attacks against Israel. Successive U.S. administrations have shied away from deploying troops in the territory, which is about the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined.
But Palestinian advocates condemned the notion of forcefully relocating the nearly 2 million Palestinians living in Gaza. “This is a form of ethnic cleansing, and it’s not something that any administration that respects human rights will allow to happen,” Abed Ayoub, executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, told Al Jazeera in an interview on the X platform.
Saudi Arabia, which Trump hopes will establish ties with Israel, quickly condemned the Gaza proposal. “The kingdom reiterates its steadfast position that it will not allow any violation of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement. It added that it would not accept the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel without full recognition of Palestinian statehood. Trump’s announcement jarred with months of delicate diplomacy to get the oil-rich Arab power on board for an agreement to recognize Israel and end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. Critics have warned such a deal could be dangerous and lead to a new wave of violence. They have also cautioned against allowing Israel to annex parts of the West Bank, which the Palestinians consider their homeland.
