UPDATED
President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States would "take over" the Gaza Strip, resettle Palestinians in other countries and turn the territory into "the Riviera of the Middle East" in a startling announcement that drew audible gasps during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
Issued on: 05/02/2025 -
FRANCE24
By: NEWS WIRES
Video by: Andrew HILLIAR
01:54
US President Donald Trump gives a news conference with Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at the White House on February 4, 2025. © Bryan Dozier, AFP
President Donald Trump said the US would take over the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and develop it economically after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere, moves that would shatter decades of US policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Trump unveiled his surprise plan, without providing specifics, at a joint press conference on Tuesday with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
President Donald Trump said the US would take over the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and develop it economically after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere, moves that would shatter decades of US policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Trump unveiled his surprise plan, without providing specifics, at a joint press conference on Tuesday with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
Trump says US will 'take over' Gaza
US President Donald Trump greets Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the White House in Washington on February 4, 2025. © Jim Watson, AFP
The announcement followed Trump's shock proposal earlier on Tuesday for the permanent resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza to neighbouring countries, calling the enclave – where the first phase of a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire is in effect – a "demolition site."
Trump can expect allies and foes alike to strongly oppose any US takeover of Gaza. The US taking a direct stake there would run counter to longtime policy in Washington and for much of the international community, which has held that Gaza would be part of a future Palestinian state that includes the occupied West Bank.
"The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too," Trump told reporters. "We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site."
"If it's necessary, we'll do that, we're going to take over that piece, we're going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs, and it'll be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of," Trump added.
"I do see a long-term ownership position and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East," he said, adding that he had spoken to regional leaders and they supported the idea.
Asked who would live there, Trump said it could become a home to "the world's people." Trump touted the narrow strip, where Israel's military assault in response to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack has leveled large swaths, as having the potential to be “The Riviera of the Middle East.”
The announcement followed Trump's shock proposal earlier on Tuesday for the permanent resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza to neighbouring countries, calling the enclave – where the first phase of a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire is in effect – a "demolition site."
Trump can expect allies and foes alike to strongly oppose any US takeover of Gaza. The US taking a direct stake there would run counter to longtime policy in Washington and for much of the international community, which has held that Gaza would be part of a future Palestinian state that includes the occupied West Bank.
"The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too," Trump told reporters. "We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site."
"If it's necessary, we'll do that, we're going to take over that piece, we're going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs, and it'll be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of," Trump added.
"I do see a long-term ownership position and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East," he said, adding that he had spoken to regional leaders and they supported the idea.
Asked who would live there, Trump said it could become a home to "the world's people." Trump touted the narrow strip, where Israel's military assault in response to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack has leveled large swaths, as having the potential to be “The Riviera of the Middle East.”
Fraser Jackson reports from Washington DC
01:22
Trump says US will take over Gaza Strip, create 'Riviera of the Middle East' © France 24
Trump did not directly respond to a question of how and under what authority the US can take over and occupy Gaza, home to around two million people with a long, violent history over control of the coastal strip. Successive US administrations, including Trump in his first term, had avoided deploying US troops there.
Netanyahu, referred to a few times by Trump by his nickname, “Bibi,” would not be drawn into discussing the proposal in depth other than to praise Trump for trying a new approach.
The Israeli leader, whose military had engaged in more than a year of fierce fighting with Hamas militants in Gaza, said Trump was "thinking outside the box with fresh ideas" and was "showing willingness to puncture conventional thinking."
Some experts have suggested Trump sometimes takes an extreme position internationally to set the parameters for future negotiations. In his first term, Trump at times issued what were seen as over-the-top foreign policy pronouncements, many of which he never implemented.
Trump proposes permanent 'resettlement'
Jonathan Panikoff, former deputy US national intelligence officer for the Near East, said Trump's plan would mean a lengthy US military commitment and if it came to fruition would be viewed by the Arab world as Washington "not learning its lessons from nation building in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Trump earlier repeated his call for Jordan, Egypt and other Arab states to take in Gazans, saying Palestinians there had no alternative but to abandon the coastal strip, which must be rebuilt after nearly 16 months of a devastating war between Israel and Hamas militants.
But this time Trump said he would support resettling Palestinians "permanently," going beyond his previous suggestions that Arab leaders had already steadfastly rejected.
Forced displacement of Gaza's population would likely be a violation of international law and would be fiercely opposed not only in the region but also by Washington's Western allies. Some human rights advocates liken the idea to ethnic cleansing.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri condemned Trump's calls for Gazans to leave as "expulsion from their land."
“We consider them a recipe for generating chaos and tension in the region because the people of Gaza will not allow such plans to pass," he said.
Trump, a Republican, offered no specifics on how a resettlement process could be implemented but his proposal echoed the wishes of Israel's far right and contradicted Democratic former President Joe Biden's commitment against mass displacement of Palestinians.
The Saudi government, in a statement, stressed its rejection of any attempt to displace Palestinians from their land and said it would not establish relations with Israel without establishment of a Palestinian state.
Jonathan Panikoff, former deputy US national intelligence officer for the Near East, said Trump's plan would mean a lengthy US military commitment and if it came to fruition would be viewed by the Arab world as Washington "not learning its lessons from nation building in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Trump earlier repeated his call for Jordan, Egypt and other Arab states to take in Gazans, saying Palestinians there had no alternative but to abandon the coastal strip, which must be rebuilt after nearly 16 months of a devastating war between Israel and Hamas militants.
But this time Trump said he would support resettling Palestinians "permanently," going beyond his previous suggestions that Arab leaders had already steadfastly rejected.
Forced displacement of Gaza's population would likely be a violation of international law and would be fiercely opposed not only in the region but also by Washington's Western allies. Some human rights advocates liken the idea to ethnic cleansing.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri condemned Trump's calls for Gazans to leave as "expulsion from their land."
“We consider them a recipe for generating chaos and tension in the region because the people of Gaza will not allow such plans to pass," he said.
Trump, a Republican, offered no specifics on how a resettlement process could be implemented but his proposal echoed the wishes of Israel's far right and contradicted Democratic former President Joe Biden's commitment against mass displacement of Palestinians.
The Saudi government, in a statement, stressed its rejection of any attempt to displace Palestinians from their land and said it would not establish relations with Israel without establishment of a Palestinian state.
Critics decry expansionist rhetoric
Just two weeks into his second term, Trump was hosting Netanyahu at the White House to discuss the future of the Gaza ceasefire, strategies to counter Iran and hopes for a renewed push for an Israeli-Saudi normalization deal.
His Gaza proposal followed a frenetic first two weeks in office in which Trump has talked about a US takeover of Greenland, warned of the possible seizure of the Panama Canal and declared that Canada should be the 51st US state.
Some critics have said Trump's expansionist rhetoric echoes old-style imperialism, suggesting it could encourage Russia in its war in Ukraine and give China justification for invading self-ruled Taiwan.
Trump described the Gaza Strip as a longtime "symbol of death and destruction" and said Palestinians there should be housed in "various domains" in other countries. He said the US will take over the Gaza Strip, "level the site" and create economic development but did not say how.
Trump, who had a career of developing real estate before getting into politics, cast a broad-brush, optimistic vision of a US takeover of Gaza while skirting details on how the United States would go about possessing the enclave and securing it.
He was also vague on where the Palestinian inhabitants of Gaza would go, saying he was confident Egypt and Jordan would take many of them, despite those governments already rejecting the idea.
Democratic Senator Chris Coons told NBC News Trump's suggestion that the US will 'take over' Gaza was "insane".
"I can’t think of a place on Earth that would welcome American troops less and where any positive outcome is less likely,” Coons added.
Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, played a key role in helping the Biden administration secure the long-sought Gaza deal before the Jan. 20 transfer of power in the US The first phase has led to Hamas' release of 18 hostages and Israel's release of hundreds of jailed Palestinians.
"We're in Phase 2 now," Witkoff told reporters earlier. He said he met Netanyahu on Monday to discuss parameters for the policy negotiations and would meet the prime minister of Qatar, a mediator in the negotiations, in the US on Thursday.
(REUTERS)
White House appears to backtrack after Trump’s Gaza takeover plan sparks global outcry
Modified: 06/02/2025 -
By: FRANCE 24
Modified: 06/02/2025 -
By: FRANCE 24
US President Donald Trump speaks alongside newly confirmed Attorney General Pam Bondi during her swearing in ceremony in the Oval Office at the White House on February 5, 2025 in Washington, DC. © Andrew Harnik, AFP
The Trump administration appeared to backtrack after US President Donald Trump’s shock proposal to take over the Gaza Strip Tuesday sparked condemnation from Palestinians, world leaders and the United Nations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said any population transfer would be temporary and the White House said there had been no commitment to sending US troops. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
Summary
President Donald Trump told White House reporters Wednesday that “everybody loves” his proposal to take over control of the Gaza Strip and own it “long term”, after he had earlier suggested that displaced Palestinians could be resettled elsewhere.
Trump made his shock announcement at a joint news conference with Israel’s Binyamin Netanyahu, who praised the US president for “thinking outside the box”.
The proposal immediately sparked global condemnation, with US allies Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt rejecting the displacement of Palestinians and reiterating their calls for a two-state solution.
The Palestinian ambassador to the UN said Gaza was “part of Palestine”, while Hamas called Trump's plan “ridiculous and absurd
Arab American, Muslim leaders decry Trump comments on Gaza
US Arab American and Muslim leaders, including some who supported Donald Trump in the 2024 election, criticised the president's proposal for the US to take over Gaza and resettle Palestinians, but some of them said they still believed he was the best option for lasting peace in the region.
The leaders largely dismissed Trump's comments as unrealistic bluster and said he was unlikely to pay a big political price in the community.
"We believe that his ideas, as well-intentioned as they might be, rubbed a lot of people the wrong way," Bishara Bahbah, who founded Arab Americans for Trump and helped rally support for him in Michigan and other battleground states, told Reuters.
"We're opposed to any transfer of Palestinians, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, out of their homeland."
Any forced displacement of Palestinians would be 'unacceptable', Macron and Sisi say
Any "forced displacement" of the Palestinian population in Gaza or the West Bank would be "unacceptable", French President Emmanuel Macron and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said after a telephone discussion Wednesday.
"It would be a serious violation of international law, an obstacle to the two-state solution and a major destabilising force for Egypt and Jordan," the two leaders said, according to a statement from the French presidency.
The statement came after US President Donald Trump proposed "long-term ownership" of Gaza by the United States, triggering an international uproar.
Macron and Sisi said they wanted to work for a "credible solution" that paved the way for a two-state solution for the territory.
'All options on Gaza' on the table, US defense secretary says
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he is prepared to consider all options on Gaza.
US plan to rebuild Gaza 'generous' and 'not hostile', US Secretary of State Rubio says
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s proposal to take “ownership” of Gaza and redevelop the area into “the Riviera of the Middle East” was a “generous” offer.
“It was not meant as a hostile move,” Rubio said. “It was meant as a, I think, a very generous move.”
He said the Palestinian terriory is “akin to a natural disaster” and people can’t live there because there are unexploded munitions, debris and rubble.
“In the interim, obviously people are going to have to live somewhere while you’re rebuilding it,” the top diplomat said during a news conference in the US capital.
Trump has 'not committed' to send US troops to Gaza, White House says
US President Trump has not committed to putting US troops on the ground in Gaza as part of his proposal for a US takeover of the Palestinian enclave, the White House said on Wednesday.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the president believes the United States needs to be involved in the rebuilding of Gaza "to ensure stability in the region."
"That does not mean boots on the ground in Gaza," she said.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, AFP
The Trump administration appeared to backtrack after US President Donald Trump’s shock proposal to take over the Gaza Strip Tuesday sparked condemnation from Palestinians, world leaders and the United Nations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said any population transfer would be temporary and the White House said there had been no commitment to sending US troops. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
Summary
President Donald Trump told White House reporters Wednesday that “everybody loves” his proposal to take over control of the Gaza Strip and own it “long term”, after he had earlier suggested that displaced Palestinians could be resettled elsewhere.
Trump made his shock announcement at a joint news conference with Israel’s Binyamin Netanyahu, who praised the US president for “thinking outside the box”.
The proposal immediately sparked global condemnation, with US allies Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt rejecting the displacement of Palestinians and reiterating their calls for a two-state solution.
The Palestinian ambassador to the UN said Gaza was “part of Palestine”, while Hamas called Trump's plan “ridiculous and absurd
Arab American, Muslim leaders decry Trump comments on Gaza
US Arab American and Muslim leaders, including some who supported Donald Trump in the 2024 election, criticised the president's proposal for the US to take over Gaza and resettle Palestinians, but some of them said they still believed he was the best option for lasting peace in the region.
The leaders largely dismissed Trump's comments as unrealistic bluster and said he was unlikely to pay a big political price in the community.
"We believe that his ideas, as well-intentioned as they might be, rubbed a lot of people the wrong way," Bishara Bahbah, who founded Arab Americans for Trump and helped rally support for him in Michigan and other battleground states, told Reuters.
"We're opposed to any transfer of Palestinians, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, out of their homeland."
Any forced displacement of Palestinians would be 'unacceptable', Macron and Sisi say
Any "forced displacement" of the Palestinian population in Gaza or the West Bank would be "unacceptable", French President Emmanuel Macron and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said after a telephone discussion Wednesday.
"It would be a serious violation of international law, an obstacle to the two-state solution and a major destabilising force for Egypt and Jordan," the two leaders said, according to a statement from the French presidency.
The statement came after US President Donald Trump proposed "long-term ownership" of Gaza by the United States, triggering an international uproar.
Macron and Sisi said they wanted to work for a "credible solution" that paved the way for a two-state solution for the territory.
'All options on Gaza' on the table, US defense secretary says
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he is prepared to consider all options on Gaza.
US plan to rebuild Gaza 'generous' and 'not hostile', US Secretary of State Rubio says
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s proposal to take “ownership” of Gaza and redevelop the area into “the Riviera of the Middle East” was a “generous” offer.
“It was not meant as a hostile move,” Rubio said. “It was meant as a, I think, a very generous move.”
He said the Palestinian terriory is “akin to a natural disaster” and people can’t live there because there are unexploded munitions, debris and rubble.
“In the interim, obviously people are going to have to live somewhere while you’re rebuilding it,” the top diplomat said during a news conference in the US capital.
Trump has 'not committed' to send US troops to Gaza, White House says
US President Trump has not committed to putting US troops on the ground in Gaza as part of his proposal for a US takeover of the Palestinian enclave, the White House said on Wednesday.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the president believes the United States needs to be involved in the rebuilding of Gaza "to ensure stability in the region."
"That does not mean boots on the ground in Gaza," she said.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, AFP
Five hurdles to Donald Trump's Gaza-takeover plan
US President Donald Trump put forward his proposal to "take over" and "own" Gaza on Tuesday but despite the US president's inflammatory rhetoric there are likely to be overwhelming roadblocks to his proposal. The idea aligns with other grandiose schemes Trump has proclaimed, such as annexing Greenland and making Canada a US state.
Issued on: 05/02/2025 -
FRANCE24
By: NEWS WIRES
Palestinian roots
Trump ignores Palestinians' deep attachment to their land. After the Gaza ceasefire, half a million displaced people rushed back north.
"This is the happiest day of my life," one of them, Lamees al-Iwady, said on January 28.
The Palestinian envoy to UN, Riyad Mansour, dismissed the idea outright.
"Our homeland is our homeland," he said. "For those who want to send them to a happy, nice place, let them go back to their original homes inside Israel, there are nice places there, and they will be happy to return to these places."
Arab opposition
Contrary to Trump's assertions, Arab states have firmly rejected the plan.
On Saturday, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates denounced any "infringement of the inalienable rights" of Palestinians.
Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas went to Jordan on Wednesday to consult King Abdullah II, signalling deep concern in Amman and Ramallah.
Public opinion in Arab states is also expected to be unanimously hostile to the proposal.
"Expect reactions to range from confusion to outrage, including demonstrations across the Middle East and beyond in the coming days," Emily Harding of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies wrote on X.
Intervention fatigue
Trump's proposal involves sending US troops into Gaza. Any such deployment would be an immediate reversal of a key campaign promise not embroil Washington in foreign wars.
Those forces would meet fierce opposition from Palestinian militants Hamas -- much weakened by 15 months of war against Israel but by no means eradicated.
Hamas and its ally, Islamic Jihad, have shown the ability to sustain a violent insurgency against conventional military force of the kind that looms large in the American memory following failed military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Vietnam.
International law
With an intervention in Gaza, Trump would tear apart international law, the inheritance of the post-war international order that until recently Washington had proudly championed, at least in its rhetoric.
"The US could only take control of Gaza with the consent of the sovereign authority of the territory. Israel can't cede Gaza to the US," said Tamer Morris, a specialist in international law at the University of Sydney.
"A government, such as the Palestinian Authority, cannot give this consent on behalf of a people. People have a right to self-determination -- the right to determine their own future," Morris wrote on The Conversation website.
The legal expert added even if Trump's proposal doesn't come to fruition, his casual dismissal of international norms is damaging on its own.
"The nonchalant way Trump is discussing things such as taking over a territory and moving a population gives the impression these rules can easily be broken, even if he doesn't break them himself," Morris said.
Underlining the legal ramification of Trump's proposal, the United Nations reiterated international law strictly prohibits any expulsion of people from an occupied territory.
Israeli caution
While Netanyahu and his supporters have appeared emboldened by Trump's declarations, Israel's wider political class have appeared cautious as they eye legislative elections in a year's time.
"The far right is ecstatic, jubilant," said David Khalfa, a researcher at the Fondation Jean-Jaures in Paris.
"The more moderate, centrist elements of parliament are congratulating Trump but expressing doubts about the feasibility of his plan."
The researcher pointed to remarks by opposition leader Yair Lapid following Trump's announcement, stressing the need for Israeli leadership to present plans rather than rely on the United States.
Khalfa said Lapid's remarks showed the Israeli politician "believes the plan is not at all realistic, or even counter-productive".
"Trump is fundamentally and above all a businessman," the Paris-based researcher said.
And the US president's plan was conceived as "a way of getting all the players in the region on board, to get out of the Israeli-Palestinian face-off, doomed to a repetition of the same tragedy," he added.
(AFP)
US President Donald Trump put forward his proposal to "take over" and "own" Gaza on Tuesday but despite the US president's inflammatory rhetoric there are likely to be overwhelming roadblocks to his proposal. The idea aligns with other grandiose schemes Trump has proclaimed, such as annexing Greenland and making Canada a US state.
Issued on: 05/02/2025 -
FRANCE24
By: NEWS WIRES
Palestinian roots
Trump ignores Palestinians' deep attachment to their land. After the Gaza ceasefire, half a million displaced people rushed back north.
"This is the happiest day of my life," one of them, Lamees al-Iwady, said on January 28.
The Palestinian envoy to UN, Riyad Mansour, dismissed the idea outright.
"Our homeland is our homeland," he said. "For those who want to send them to a happy, nice place, let them go back to their original homes inside Israel, there are nice places there, and they will be happy to return to these places."
Arab opposition
Contrary to Trump's assertions, Arab states have firmly rejected the plan.
On Saturday, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates denounced any "infringement of the inalienable rights" of Palestinians.
Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas went to Jordan on Wednesday to consult King Abdullah II, signalling deep concern in Amman and Ramallah.
Public opinion in Arab states is also expected to be unanimously hostile to the proposal.
"Expect reactions to range from confusion to outrage, including demonstrations across the Middle East and beyond in the coming days," Emily Harding of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies wrote on X.
Intervention fatigue
Trump's proposal involves sending US troops into Gaza. Any such deployment would be an immediate reversal of a key campaign promise not embroil Washington in foreign wars.
Those forces would meet fierce opposition from Palestinian militants Hamas -- much weakened by 15 months of war against Israel but by no means eradicated.
Hamas and its ally, Islamic Jihad, have shown the ability to sustain a violent insurgency against conventional military force of the kind that looms large in the American memory following failed military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Vietnam.
International law
With an intervention in Gaza, Trump would tear apart international law, the inheritance of the post-war international order that until recently Washington had proudly championed, at least in its rhetoric.
"The US could only take control of Gaza with the consent of the sovereign authority of the territory. Israel can't cede Gaza to the US," said Tamer Morris, a specialist in international law at the University of Sydney.
"A government, such as the Palestinian Authority, cannot give this consent on behalf of a people. People have a right to self-determination -- the right to determine their own future," Morris wrote on The Conversation website.
The legal expert added even if Trump's proposal doesn't come to fruition, his casual dismissal of international norms is damaging on its own.
"The nonchalant way Trump is discussing things such as taking over a territory and moving a population gives the impression these rules can easily be broken, even if he doesn't break them himself," Morris said.
Underlining the legal ramification of Trump's proposal, the United Nations reiterated international law strictly prohibits any expulsion of people from an occupied territory.
Israeli caution
While Netanyahu and his supporters have appeared emboldened by Trump's declarations, Israel's wider political class have appeared cautious as they eye legislative elections in a year's time.
"The far right is ecstatic, jubilant," said David Khalfa, a researcher at the Fondation Jean-Jaures in Paris.
"The more moderate, centrist elements of parliament are congratulating Trump but expressing doubts about the feasibility of his plan."
The researcher pointed to remarks by opposition leader Yair Lapid following Trump's announcement, stressing the need for Israeli leadership to present plans rather than rely on the United States.
Khalfa said Lapid's remarks showed the Israeli politician "believes the plan is not at all realistic, or even counter-productive".
"Trump is fundamentally and above all a businessman," the Paris-based researcher said.
And the US president's plan was conceived as "a way of getting all the players in the region on board, to get out of the Israeli-Palestinian face-off, doomed to a repetition of the same tragedy," he added.
(AFP)
Trump’s global policy ideas have some wondering how the president went from America First to America Everywhere
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump promised voters an administration that wouldn’t waste precious American lives and taxpayer treasure on far-off wars and nation building.
But just weeks into his second go-around in the White House, the Republican leader laid out plans to use American might to “take over” and reconstruct Gaza, threatened to reclaim U.S. control of the Panama Canal and floated the idea that the U.S. could buy Greenland from Denmark, which has shown no interest in parting with the island.
The rhetorical shift from America First to America Everywhere is leaving even some of his allies slack-jawed — and wondering if he’s really serious.
WATCH: Former USAID administrator describes global impact of agency’s ‘destruction’
“The pursuit for peace should be that of the Israelis and the Palestinians,” a flummoxed Sen. Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican and Trump ally, posted Wednesday on social media. “I thought we voted for America First. We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers’ blood.”
The president’s shocking declaration Tuesday that he wants to remove roughly 1.8 million Palestinians from Gaza and redevelop the war-scarred territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East” with “long-term” American ownership raises anew questions about the direction of Trump’s foreign policy during his norm-breaking second term.
Is Trump’s imperialist talk just meant to appear tough on the world stage? Is he merely trying to give Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cover with far-right members of his governing coalition who oppose moving forward with the second phase of the ceasefire deal with Hamas? Is the Gaza takeover proposal a land grab by a president who sees the world through the prism of a New York real estate developer? Or is it, possibly, a bit of all of above?
Whatever the answer, Trump’s play on Gaza has perplexed Washington — and the world — as they try to make sense of the president’s foreign policy doctrine.
Trump advisers try to temper concerns
The president’s advisers sought Wednesday to temper concerns about his plans for the territory, just a day after Trump shocked the world with his call for a “world-class” American rehab of Gaza that would take place after relocating Palestinians to neighboring Arab nations.
Both his top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, edged away from Trump’s suggestion that Gazans would be relocated “permanently.”
Rubio said Trump’s proposal to take “ownership” of Gaza and redevelop the area should be seen as a “generous” offer.
“It was not meant as a hostile move,” Rubio said during his visit to Guatemala. “It was meant as … a very generous move.”
Rubio added that the moment was “akin to a natural disaster.” People won’t be able to live in Gaza for years to come because there are unexploded munitions, debris and rubble.
“In the interim, obviously people are going to have to live somewhere while you’re rebuilding it,” he said.
Trump would not rule out the possibility of U.S. troops being deployed to carry out his plan.
But Leavitt downplayed the prospects that Trump’s plan would come with a cost to American taxpayers or that Trump would deploy U.S. forces.
“It’s been made very clear to the president that the United States needs to be involved in this rebuilding effort, to ensure stability in the region for all people,” Leavitt told reporters at the White House. “But that does not mean boots on the ground in Gaza. It does not mean American taxpayers will be funding this effort.”
The White House has yet to explain under what authority Trump could carry his Gaza proposal. Nor has the administration clarified how Trump would get around stiff opposition to any relocation of Gaza’s population from Arab allies, including Egypt and Jordan, that he expects to take in Palestinians.
Still, they insist that Trump is just looking for an answer to the generational strife between Israelis and Palestinians that’s convulsed the region for decades and foiled many of his White House predecessors.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” Leavitt said. “President Trump is an outside-of-the-box thinker and a visionary leader who solves problems that many others, especially in this city, claim are unsolvable.”
Democrats criticize expansionist talk
The expansionist talk in Gaza is playing out as Trump has begun an effort to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, the federal agency that provides crucial aid that funds education and fights starvation, epidemics and poverty overseas. Trump sees it as a poster child of government waste and advancement of liberal social programs.
That split screen has galled some of Trump’s Democratic detractors.
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., called Trump’s Gaza proposal “offensive and insane and dangerous and foolish.” Even worse, he said, it “risks the rest of the world thinking that we are an unbalanced and unreliable partner because our president makes insane proposals.”
Coons added that it was particularly infuriating that Trump floated the idea at a moment when he is also insisting that USAID be dismantled in the name of fighting government waste.
“Why on earth would we abandon decades of well-established humanitarian programs around the world, and now launch into one of the world’s greatest humanitarian challenges?” Coons said.
Mideast allies reject moving displaced Palestinians in Gaza
Trump’s push was roundly rejected Wednesday by European and Middle East allies, including those he’s calling on to take in hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have been left homeless by the war.
The Arab League, the 22-member regional grouping, said the proposal “represents a recipe for instability.” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said displaced Palestinians in Gaza “must be allowed home.” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said displacement of the Palestinian civilian population from Gaza would be “unacceptable” and “against international law.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, said “the idea of Americans going in on the ground in Gaza is a nonstarter for every senator.”
“So I would suggest we go back to what we’ve been trying to do, which is destroy Hamas and find a way for the Arab world to take over Gaza and the West Bank, in a fashion that would lead to a Palestinian state that Israel can live with,” Graham said.
But even as his Gaza proposal was panned, Trump continued to insist that it has widespread support.
“Everybody loves it,” Trump said in a brief exchange with reporters.
And Netanyahu reiterated his praise, telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity: “It’s a remarkable idea and I think it should be really pursued. Examined, pursued and done, because I think it will create a different future for everyone.”
___
Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Matthew Lee in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and Farnoush Amiri and Stephen Groves in Washington contributed to this report.
Nation Feb 6, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump promised voters an administration that wouldn’t waste precious American lives and taxpayer treasure on far-off wars and nation building.
But just weeks into his second go-around in the White House, the Republican leader laid out plans to use American might to “take over” and reconstruct Gaza, threatened to reclaim U.S. control of the Panama Canal and floated the idea that the U.S. could buy Greenland from Denmark, which has shown no interest in parting with the island.
The rhetorical shift from America First to America Everywhere is leaving even some of his allies slack-jawed — and wondering if he’s really serious.
WATCH: Former USAID administrator describes global impact of agency’s ‘destruction’
“The pursuit for peace should be that of the Israelis and the Palestinians,” a flummoxed Sen. Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican and Trump ally, posted Wednesday on social media. “I thought we voted for America First. We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers’ blood.”
The president’s shocking declaration Tuesday that he wants to remove roughly 1.8 million Palestinians from Gaza and redevelop the war-scarred territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East” with “long-term” American ownership raises anew questions about the direction of Trump’s foreign policy during his norm-breaking second term.
Is Trump’s imperialist talk just meant to appear tough on the world stage? Is he merely trying to give Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cover with far-right members of his governing coalition who oppose moving forward with the second phase of the ceasefire deal with Hamas? Is the Gaza takeover proposal a land grab by a president who sees the world through the prism of a New York real estate developer? Or is it, possibly, a bit of all of above?
Whatever the answer, Trump’s play on Gaza has perplexed Washington — and the world — as they try to make sense of the president’s foreign policy doctrine.
Trump advisers try to temper concerns
The president’s advisers sought Wednesday to temper concerns about his plans for the territory, just a day after Trump shocked the world with his call for a “world-class” American rehab of Gaza that would take place after relocating Palestinians to neighboring Arab nations.
Both his top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, edged away from Trump’s suggestion that Gazans would be relocated “permanently.”
Rubio said Trump’s proposal to take “ownership” of Gaza and redevelop the area should be seen as a “generous” offer.
“It was not meant as a hostile move,” Rubio said during his visit to Guatemala. “It was meant as … a very generous move.”
Rubio added that the moment was “akin to a natural disaster.” People won’t be able to live in Gaza for years to come because there are unexploded munitions, debris and rubble.
“In the interim, obviously people are going to have to live somewhere while you’re rebuilding it,” he said.
Trump would not rule out the possibility of U.S. troops being deployed to carry out his plan.
But Leavitt downplayed the prospects that Trump’s plan would come with a cost to American taxpayers or that Trump would deploy U.S. forces.
“It’s been made very clear to the president that the United States needs to be involved in this rebuilding effort, to ensure stability in the region for all people,” Leavitt told reporters at the White House. “But that does not mean boots on the ground in Gaza. It does not mean American taxpayers will be funding this effort.”
The White House has yet to explain under what authority Trump could carry his Gaza proposal. Nor has the administration clarified how Trump would get around stiff opposition to any relocation of Gaza’s population from Arab allies, including Egypt and Jordan, that he expects to take in Palestinians.
Still, they insist that Trump is just looking for an answer to the generational strife between Israelis and Palestinians that’s convulsed the region for decades and foiled many of his White House predecessors.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” Leavitt said. “President Trump is an outside-of-the-box thinker and a visionary leader who solves problems that many others, especially in this city, claim are unsolvable.”
Democrats criticize expansionist talk
The expansionist talk in Gaza is playing out as Trump has begun an effort to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, the federal agency that provides crucial aid that funds education and fights starvation, epidemics and poverty overseas. Trump sees it as a poster child of government waste and advancement of liberal social programs.
That split screen has galled some of Trump’s Democratic detractors.
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., called Trump’s Gaza proposal “offensive and insane and dangerous and foolish.” Even worse, he said, it “risks the rest of the world thinking that we are an unbalanced and unreliable partner because our president makes insane proposals.”
Coons added that it was particularly infuriating that Trump floated the idea at a moment when he is also insisting that USAID be dismantled in the name of fighting government waste.
“Why on earth would we abandon decades of well-established humanitarian programs around the world, and now launch into one of the world’s greatest humanitarian challenges?” Coons said.
Mideast allies reject moving displaced Palestinians in Gaza
Trump’s push was roundly rejected Wednesday by European and Middle East allies, including those he’s calling on to take in hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have been left homeless by the war.
The Arab League, the 22-member regional grouping, said the proposal “represents a recipe for instability.” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said displaced Palestinians in Gaza “must be allowed home.” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said displacement of the Palestinian civilian population from Gaza would be “unacceptable” and “against international law.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, said “the idea of Americans going in on the ground in Gaza is a nonstarter for every senator.”
“So I would suggest we go back to what we’ve been trying to do, which is destroy Hamas and find a way for the Arab world to take over Gaza and the West Bank, in a fashion that would lead to a Palestinian state that Israel can live with,” Graham said.
But even as his Gaza proposal was panned, Trump continued to insist that it has widespread support.
“Everybody loves it,” Trump said in a brief exchange with reporters.
And Netanyahu reiterated his praise, telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity: “It’s a remarkable idea and I think it should be really pursued. Examined, pursued and done, because I think it will create a different future for everyone.”
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Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Matthew Lee in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and Farnoush Amiri and Stephen Groves in Washington contributed to this report.
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