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Tuesday, February 18, 2025  
19 Shaban 1446  

Trump says US to take over Gaza Strip

Calls for permanent resettlement of Palestinians
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 4, 2025. Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 4, 2025. Reuters

The US President Donald Trump proposed a radical shift in US policy regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump suggested that the United States should take over the Gaza Strip and lead its economic development, contingent upon the resettlement of Palestinians to neighboring countries.

He described Gaza as a “demolition site,” and emphasized the need for the US to manage the region, including the removal of unexploded bombs.

“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” he stated.

“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.

When asked who would reside in Gaza, Trump suggested it could become a home for “the world’s people.” He described the area, which has been heavily damaged by Israel’s military response to Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack, as having the potential to become “The Riviera of the Middle East.”

Trump did not address how the US could take control of Gaza, which is home to about two million people with a long history of conflict.

Netanyahu, often referred to as “Bibi” by Trump, avoided detailed discussion of the proposal but praised Trump for attempting a new approach.

Permanent resettlement

The former deputy US national intelligence officer for the Near East, Jonathan Panikoff, stated that Trump’s plan would require a prolonged US military commitment and, if realized, would be seen by the Arab world as a failure to learn from nation-building efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Trump reiterated his call for Jordan, Egypt, and other Arab nations to accept Gazans, insisting that Palestinians had no choice but to leave the coastal strip, which needs rebuilding after nearly 16 months of devastating conflict between Israel and Hamas militants.

He expressed support for the permanent resettlement of Palestinians, moving beyond his earlier suggestions that Arab leaders had firmly rejected.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri condemned Trump’s calls for Gazans to leave, labeling them 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.”

Trump did not provide details on how a resettlement process could be carried out, but his proposal aligned with the desires of Israel’s far right and contradicted Democratic former President Joe Biden’s commitment against the mass displacement of Palestinians.

The Saudi government emphasized its rejection of any attempts to displace Palestinians from their land and stated it would not establish relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state.

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