What you need to know about Trump’s plan for Gaza
President Donald Trump proposed a US takeover of the Gaza Strip, relocating 2.3 million Palestinians out of a region devastated by 15 months of war with Israel, and redeveloping the area into a “Riviera of the Middle East” that could house “the world’s people”.
Such a move would mark a significant departure from the long-held American policy of supporting the formation of an independent Palestinian state. The White House later suggested no American money would be spent on rebuilding Gaza and that Palestinians would only be “temporarily” relocated.
US President Donald Trump (right) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu address the media at the White House. Credit: Getty Images
What did Trump say about the Gaza Strip?
At the start of a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said the United States “will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too”. He did not rule out using US soldiers to redevelop the area.
“We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site,” he said.
“Level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area. Do a real job, do something different.”
What the White House said afterwards
In a briefing the next day that exacerbated confusion about the president’s proposal, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the US would not pay for redevelopment and that Trump had not committed to putting boots on the ground.
“This is an out-of-the-box idea. That’s who President Trump is,” Leavitt said, adding Palestinians would be temporarily relocated out of Gaza, rather than permanently moved.
Does the US have authority to ‘take over’ Gaza?
In a nutshell, no. In his public comments, Trump skirted around how exactly the US would be able to possess the enclave, which has been under the control of Hamas for almost 20 years.
Trump’s suggested forced displacement of Gaza’s population would probably be a violation of international law and would be fiercely opposed, including by Western allies. Some academics have called the proposal ethnic cleansing.
What was the proposal for Palestinians?
Trump suggested Palestinians leave Gaza for good, to live “in nice homes and where they can be happy and not be shot, not be killed”.
He has said Palestinians should be housed in “beautiful” new towns in nearby Arab nations built with funds from other countries or from unnamed wealthy people. He named Egypt and Jordan as two countries that should resettle Palestinians but both have rejected that, reiterating their support for a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict, seen as the ultimate way to resolve the conflict by most countries.
Palestinians return to their homes in Gaza City this week, after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.Credit: Getty Images
“I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza,” Trump said. “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.
“You could build four or five or six areas, it doesn’t have to be one area … and you build really good quality housing, like a beautiful town, some place where they can live and not die,” he said.
What has the reaction been?
Netanyahu welcomed the idea and pointed out Israel’s position was that Gaza must never again be allowed to pose a threat to the Jewish state.
Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri, said: “Trump’s remarks about his desire to control Gaza are ridiculous and absurd, and any ideas of this kind are capable of igniting the region.”
The Saudi government said it rejected any attempt to displace Palestinians from their land and that it would not forge relations with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would not say if he supported Trump’s plan, but reiterated Australia’s support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch, told CNN that Trump’s proposal violated international law and amounted to ethnic cleansing, noting Palestinians had been displaced from their homes multiple times since 1948.
A group that played a key role in Trump’s voter outreach to the Arab American community said it was rebranding itself. Bishara Bahbah, chairman of the group formerly known as Arab Americans for Trump, said it would now be called Arab Americans for Peace.
Without mentioning Trump, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a long-planned meeting of the General Assembly committee supporting Palestinian rights that “in the search for solutions, we must not make the problem worse”.
“It is vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law,” he said. “It is essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing.”
Who controls Gaza now?
In 2005, Israel withdrew its military and settlers from the Gaza Strip for security and political reasons but Gaza remained dependent on Israel for water, electricity and telecommunications. Israel also controlled its air and maritime spaces.
In 2006, militant organisation Hamas defeated Fatah in a democratic election and took control of the Gaza Strip. Hamas and other militant groups have continued to clash with Israel since.
Reuters, AP
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