Former U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed that the United States take control of the Gaza Strip, relocate its residents to other countries and redevelop the area into a luxury destination, a suggestion that has drawn sharp criticism from Palestinian leaders and Arab officials.
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip,” Trump said Tuesday during a White House news conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site.”
Trump, who has frequently criticised America’s prolonged foreign military engagements, indicated he was open to deploying U.S. troops to secure Gaza, describing it as a “long-term ownership position.”
The proposal was welcomed in some Israeli political circles as an “original approach” to resolving the conflict. However, across the Middle East, the reaction was overwhelmingly negative.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which represents Palestinian factions in Gaza and the West Bank, rejected any suggestion of forcibly displacing Gazans, stating that it was “steadfast” in opposing any displacement of Gazans from their homeland.
Saudi Arabia also dismissed the proposal, reiterating its support for an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
“Any infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, land annexation or attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land,” was unacceptable, the Saudi government stated.
A senior Arab official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the timing of Trump’s remarks as “particularly dangerous”, warning that they could undermine ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
“Gazans would probably resist any attempt to displace them,” the official said, adding that Iran could exploit anger over the proposal to escalate tensions in the region.
The backlash was not limited to the Middle East. U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, condemned the proposal as “ethnic cleansing by another name.”
Netanyahu’s Response
Despite the growing criticism, Trump appeared unfazed, expanding on his vision during the news conference. He spoke of flattening Gaza and rebuilding it into a thriving modern city, likening it to a Mediterranean tourist hub.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stood beside him during the press briefing, did not express opposition. Instead, he praised Trump for thinking on a “much higher level.”
“We’re talking about it, he’s exploring it with his people, with his staff. I think it’s something that could change history,” Netanyahu said. “And it’s worthwhile really pursuing this avenue.”
Trump’s comments underscore a dramatic shift from the long-standing U.S. policy that has supported a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. His remarks also come at a volatile moment in the region, as efforts to negotiate a lasting truce between Israel and Hamas remain delicate.
Arab and International Backlash
The Saudi reaction reflects broader sentiment across the Middle East. Before Trump’s comments, Arab governments, including Egypt, Jordan, and the Arab League, had already rejected any forced displacement of Palestinians.
When asked about Jordan’s reluctance to accept more Palestinian refugees, Trump compared the situation to Venezuela, which recently agreed to take back deportees from the U.S. after previously resisting such measures.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II is set to meet Trump in Washington on February 11, where the issue is expected to come up.
“Look, the Gaza thing has not worked,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office earlier in the day. “I think they should get a good, fresh, beautiful piece of land, and we get some people to put up the money to build it and make it nice and make it habitable, and enjoyable, somewhere.”
Geopolitical Implications
While Trump’s remarks had little immediate impact on Israeli and regional financial markets, analysts warn that such a proposal could destabilize the Middle East even further.
“Everything that he’s proposing, every component of what he said by itself, is highly problematic and would be destabilizing to a huge extent,” said Khaled Elgindy, a visiting scholar at Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies.
Elgindy added that Trump appeared to be speaking more as a real estate developer than as a policymaker.
“He clearly did not talk to any Palestinians in coming up with these ideas,” he said.
Historical Context
Trump’s proposal ignores decades of geopolitical tensions and the history of U.S. military interventions in the region. Analysts note that American involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts—from the Iraq wars to the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing—has often led to long-term entanglements rather than clear solutions.
Despite previously advocating for a reduced U.S. military presence overseas, Trump’s latest remarks signal a more expansionist approach to American foreign policy.
He has previously suggested acquiring Greenland, taking back the Panama Canal, and even making Canada the 51st U.S. state—proposals that stirred debate but never materialized.
“He has no means or tools to actually implement the things that he’s saying,” said Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and former U.S. official at the State Department and White House National Security Council.
“It’s similar to what he says about Greenland or Panama. It causes a stir. It causes a debate. But it doesn’t produce anything.”
Trump Remains Undeterred
Despite the international pushback, Trump remains confident that his proposal will gain support. He vowed to visit Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Gaza in an upcoming foreign tour, though he did not specify a timeline.
“There are many of them that want to do this, and build various domains that will ultimately be occupied by the 1.8 million Palestinians living in Gaza, ending the death and destruction and frankly bad luck,” Trump said.
During his Oval Office briefing, Trump claimed that “really rich” nations would supply land, adding that new settlements would be so attractive that Palestinian refugees would not want to return to their homeland.
Speaking before the Saudi government released its statement rejecting the plan, Trump expressed confidence that Riyadh would support his vision.
“Saudi Arabia is going to be very helpful and they have been very helpful,” Trump said. “But everybody feels that continuing the same process that’s gone on forever, over and over again, and then it starts and then the killing starts, and all of the other problems start. And you end up in the same place, and we don’t want to see that happen.”
Netanyahu, for his part, believes that Trump’s involvement could accelerate normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
“Peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia is not only feasible, I think it’s going to happen,” Netanyahu said.
Uncertain Future for Gaza
With Netanyahu’s government ruling out Palestinian statehood, Trump’s proposal has only intensified concerns over Gaza’s future. Some of Netanyahu’s hard-right supporters have previously called for removing all Palestinians from Gaza and integrating the territory into Israel.
Meanwhile, the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, exacerbated by a 15-month war between Israel and Hamas, has left more than 2 million residents in desperate conditions, with little prospect of relief.
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and former White House advisor, echoed similar views last year when he described Gaza as a potentially valuable real estate asset.
“Gaza’s waterfront property, it could be very valuable, if people would focus on building up livelihoods,” Kushner said in an interview with Harvard University’s Middle East Initiative.
While a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains in place, Trump’s remarks have introduced new uncertainty into an already volatile situation.
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