Last week, Donald Trump stunned Palestinians and the international community by proposing a takeover plan of Gaza as part of an audacious redevelopment goal that he claimed could transform the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
The US President doubled down on his suggestion the following day, despite backlash from Palestinian representatives and much of the international community.
Undeterred by the criticism, the real estate developer in Trump has not backed down as he has reiterated his plans for the US to redevelop Gaza.
Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One, Trump said that Gaza should be thought of as a “big real estate site.”
“I think that it’s a big mistake to allow people — the Palestinians, or the people living in Gaza — to go back yet another time, and we don’t want Hamas going back. And think of it as a big real estate site, and the United States is going to own it and we’ll slowly — very slowly, we’re in no rush — develop it. We’re going to bring stability to the Middle East soon.”
Donald Trump
He stated that other countries in the Middle East could be tasked with handling Gaza’s redevelopment.
“As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it; other people may do it, through our auspices.
“But we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back. There’s nothing to move back into. The place is a demolition site.”
Donald Trump
Trump also claimed that displaced Palestinians would prefer not to return to Gaza “if we could give them a home in a safer area.”
He asserted that the only reason they are talking about returning to Gaza is that they “don’t have an alternative.” “When they have an alternative, they don’t want to return to Gaza,” he said.
Trump, a real estate developer before entering politics, has provided few details about how he would implement his proposal, which would face huge practical hurdles in addition to raising legal and ethical concerns.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump’s proposal as “revolutionary” and “creative” while addressing a cabinet meeting held hours after his return from Washington, DC, where he held talks with the US President.
Netanyahu told his cabinet that Trump presented a “different vision for the ‘day after’” the conflict in Gaza.
“For a whole year, we’ve been told that in the ‘day after,’ we need the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority.
“President Trump came with a completely different vision, much better for the state of Israel. A revolutionary, creative vision – and we are discussing it. He is very determined to implement it. This also opens up many possibilities for us.”
Benjamin Netanyahu
However, Hamas, the Palestinian group that governs Gaza, reiterated its opposition to Trump’s proposal, calling his latest remarks “absurd.”
Izzat al-Risheq, a member of the Hamas political bureau, said in a statement shared on Telegram, “Gaza is not a property that can be bought and sold, and it is an integral part of our occupied Palestinian land.”
“Dealing with the Palestinian issue with the mentality of a real estate dealer is a recipe for failure. Our Palestinian people will thwart all displacement and deportation plans. Gaza belongs to its people.”
Izzat al-Risheq
Takeover Plan Deemed A Ploy To Bring Players To The Table
Meanwhile, Trump’s National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz, suggested that Trump was offering an initial salvo to bring other players in the region to the table to find a solution.
Waltz said during a press appearance, “Come to the table with your plan if you don’t like his plan,” adding that the White House has received “all kinds of outreach” since Trump’s proposal.
Regional leaders have rejected Trump’s plans, which break with decades of US foreign policy.
Neighbouring states such as Egypt and Jordan roundly rejected calls to take in displaced Palestinians despite Trump’s suggestion that they could be resettled in “other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts.”
Trump’s proposals are expected to be a key topic of discussion when the US President hosts the King of Jordan at the White House this week.
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