In a stunning revelation on Tuesday, President Donald Trump unveiled an unprecedented proposal to take control of the Gaza Strip, suggesting that the U.S. would oversee its transformation into what he called “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a joint press conference, Trump outlined a controversial plan that would involve resettling Palestinians, seemingly regardless of their consent, and removing unexploded bombs and debris from the war-torn region.
Trump’s plan, which lacked specifics on logistics or the relocation of over two million Palestinians, included a vision of redeveloping Gaza economically and physically, promising to make the region “unbelievable.”
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it,” Trump declared, adding that the idea had garnered support from the “highest leadership” in the Middle East.
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However, both Egypt and Jordan, as well as Palestinian leaders, quickly rejected the proposal.
In a bold statement, Trump suggested that Gaza could be turned into a luxurious destination akin to Monaco, despite the region’s history of conflict and hardship.
“This could be something that could be so magnificent,” Trump said, even hinting that the U.S. could potentially station military forces in Gaza if necessary to carry out the transformation.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, standing beside Trump, expressed support for the proposal, suggesting it could “change history” and urging attention to the idea.
Netanyahu’s praise comes during the first foreign visit to the White House since Trump’s return to office, which had initially been scheduled for talks on a second phase of the Israel-Hamas truce.
However, the proposal faced immediate backlash. Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour vehemently rejected the idea of resettling his people, stating, “Our homeland is our homeland,” while Gaza residents like Hatem Azzam dismissed Trump’s plan as insulting.
“Trump thinks Gaza is a pile of garbage — absolutely not,” Azzam responded.
Despite the criticism, Trump remained firm, envisioning a long-term U.S. presence in Gaza, though details on how this would be executed remain unclear.
