EDITORIAL: President Donald Trump’s shock announcement at a White House press conference with Israeli Prime Minister that the US would “take over” and “own” Gaza, clear rubble and remove unexploded ordnance (mostly supplied by the US) relocating Palestinians to other countries reeks of old-style imperialism and unfeeling stupidity.
Gaza, he said, would be the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’. “This guy knows real estate,” remarked his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in a salute to Trump’s real estate instincts.
Later, however, his press secretary Karoline Leavitt, tried to walk back at a briefing session, saying the president had not committed to US troops on the ground in Gaza, and that people living there would be “temporarily relocated.”
The president, of course, does not care if relocation of population, which amounts to ethnic cleansing, is a crime under international law; and acquisition of another people’s land by force a grave violation of the UN Charter.
In any event, the plan is not going to work. It may be recalled that days after his inauguration Trump had asked rulers of Egypt and Jordan to resettle Gaza Palestinians in their countries, which was unacceptable to them.
The latest proposal has sparked widespread outrage. It has been rebuffed by Arab governments, and denounced by even Israel’s European friends.
Saudi Arabia issued a strongly-worded statement, saying it would not normalise ties with Israel — something the US and Israel badly want because of the kingdom’s status among Muslim countries — if any attempt is made to displace the Palestinians from their land, adding that its stance is “clear and explicit” as well as non-negotiable.
Saudi foreign ministry also reiterated its “previously announced unequivocal rejection of any infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, the annexation of Palestinian land, or attempt to displace the Palestinians from their land.”
All major European governments, including Britain, Germany, France, Spain and Ireland, have called for allowing Palestinians’ home and to rebuild on the way to a two-state solution.
Most important of all, the Palestinians living amidst the wreckage of their homes remain steadfast on staying in their shattered homeland. A Gaza City resident has been quoted as saying, “Trump can go to hell with his ideas, with his money and with his beliefs, we are going nowhere, we are not some of his assets.”
His proposal may be absurd, as seen by most commentators, but it could encourage the ultra-right expansionists like Netanyahu and his cabinet colleagues to restart the war on Gaza after the completion of the first phase of the ceasefire deal.
And there will be armed resistance. Despite 15 months of relentless bombings Israel has failed to eliminate Hamas. Its fallen fighters have kept being replaced by more and more volunteers.
But resumption of fighting will destabilise the Middle East region, and also radicalise people farther afield. None of this is in the interest of the US or its allies.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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