Two weeks into the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, on Tuesday, February 4, U.S. President Donald Trump stood next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the East Room of the White House and said the United States would “take over” the Gaza strip, with the intervention of American troops, if needed. The announcement, taking his own advisors by surprise, sent ripples across the globe, triggering a strong response from allies and adversaries alike.
In the press briefing, Trump said the Gaza Strip has been “a symbol of death and destruction” for decades and has been “very unlucky” for those who live there. Palestinians should go to other countries with “humanitarian hearts” and live in domains built and paid for by “neighbouring wealthy nations,” he said, and this will “end death and bad luck” in the region.
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza strip,” he said, “and we will do a job with it too. We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all the unexploded bombs and weapons on the site.” He went on to suggest that they would rebuild it into “the Riviera of West Asia.”
He clarified that this takeover was not temporary, but with plans of a “long-term ownership” position, with no intention of returning it to Gazans, but making it a place for everybody, “not for a specific group of people.”
Reports suggest that such a proposal was on Trump’s mind for quite some time, however, nobody, including members of his own administration, reportedly expected him to announce it publicly on Tuesday.
During Trump’s 2016 election campaign, the president stressed pulling the U.S. out of the Middle East. His 2024 campaign also hinged on ending “ridiculous wars” and disengaging in conflicts abroad. In his inauguration speech, he spoke of building a presidential legacy as a “peacemaker and unifier.” Finally, responding to reporters in the Oval Office during the initial hours of his presidency, he spoke of the Israel-Hamas war and said, “It’s not our war. It is their war.” Therefore, such comments are in sharp contrast to his campaign narrative, where he has been critical of U.S. involvement and investment in foreign wars.
Trump’s remarks of a U.S. takeover of Gaza, while shrouded in legal and humanitarian hurdles mark a distinct shift in American foreign policy, which has historically supported a two-state solution. A statement of such magnitude coming from a sitting U.S. president, led to varied reactions across the region, even as all Palestinian stakeholders expressed an unequivocal rejection of being removed from their homeland.
Israel
Reports suggest that while Netanyahu was aware of the president’s plan, he wasn’t fully aware of the full scope and extent of the proposal and was not expecting him to announce it. As Netanyahu stood next to Trump at the White House, he said the plan was “worth paying attention to” and could change history.
“You are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House,” he said.
Israel is possibly the only nation to have a positive response to Trump’s proposal. Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, has already told the military to prepare a plan to allow Gazans who wish to leave to do so.
The Israeli far-right is particularly thrilled since the U.S. president’s remarks embolden their agenda.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s former national security minister and leader of the right-wing Jewish Power Party (Otzma Yehudit), while not responding directly to the remarks, called it a “huge opportunity” that Israel “must not miss.”
“Even before October 7, I encouraged emigration and they mocked me,” he said, as per Times of Israel. “It is time to implement and promote it.”
Ben-Gvir’s party left the coalition in early January to show their disapproval of the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Netanyahu was facing retaliation within his coalition from the far-right due to the ceasefire deal with Hamas. But Trump’s plans for Gaza announced standing next to a grinning Netanyahu, strengthen his position in Israel’s domestic politics. Ben-Gvir even said that the chances of Otzma Yehudit returning to the government have now increased.
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich said they had been working on a plan to move Palestinians out of Gaza for months but couldn’t make it public because of the Biden administration’s concern about an international decision to block it, a report in the Middle East Monitor suggests. With Trump’s support, he said, they can “help two million Palestinians leave Gaza and start new lives in other places.”
Palestinian response
While the Palestinian people fear another “Nakba” or a mass displacement like the one in 1948 when Israel was created, they have flat-out rejected Trump’s proposal. “We would rather die in Gaza than leave it. We will stay here until we rebuild it. Trump can do as he pleases, but we firmly reject his decisions,” a Gazan told BBC Arabic.
Palestinian Authority’s President Mahmoud Abbas said that such a call to displace Palestinians from Gaza is a “serious violation of international law” and that peace is not possible in the region without a two-state solution. Palestinian Liberation Organisation too rejected any calls for displacement, while Hamas officials dubbed Trump’s remarks as “ridiculous and absurd” and said it could “ignite the region.” Palestinian Islamic Jihad said that these plans are a dangerous escalation threatening Arab and regional national security, especially in Egypt and Jordan.
Jordan and Egypt
The issue of Palestinian refugees is particularly sensitive for both Jordan and Egypt.
Jordan, one of the nations that, as per Trump’s plan, will rehabilitate Palestinians after they’re displaced from the Gaza Strip, has rejected the plan again.
“His Majesty King Abdullah II stresses the need to put a stop to settlement expansion, expressing rejection of any attempts to annex land and displace the Palestinians,” the Royal Hashemite Court said, on social media platform X.
The U.S. has influenced Jordan’s relations with Israel since 1994 when then-President Bill Clinton brokered a deal between Jordan’s King Hussein and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The two signed a declaration ending the war in exchange for the U.S. forgiving Jordan’s debt of $700 million. Trump perhaps hopes to use a similar leverage with King Abdullah II, given the nation’s heavy reliance on the annual $1.45 billion that comes into the Hashemite kingdom as U.S. aid.
“They will do it. They will do it…We do a lot for them, and they’re going to do it,” Trump told journalists last week when questioned about Egypt and Jordan refusing to take in Palestinian refugees.
While the U.S. aid is significant, Jordan is firm in their rejection of Trump’s proposal. A Middle East Eye report quoting a Jordanian official said that although the aid, which makes up 10% of the state’s budget, is crucial and necessary, they will not hesitate to forgo it should it be linked to the issue of relocation.
Jordan’s former deputy prime minister, Mamdouh al-Abadi, told Middle East Eye that they are considering political and popular action, including suspending the peace treaty and expelling U.S. military bases in Jordan. The U.S. has over 3000 troops in the region and the defense cooperation agreement between the two nations provides the U.S. several bases in the region.
Egypt, the second country where Trump plans to send Palestinians, has also categorically refused Trump’s plan. While President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi has not directly responded to Trump’s remarks, he spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and the two sides reiterated the “rejection of any attempt to evacuate Gaza of its Palestinian inhabitants,” and stressed the importance of a two-state solution.
Previously too, el-Sisi has rejected any plans of resettling Palestinians in Egypt, calling their displacement “an act of injustice.” A report in the Associated Press suggests that Cairo has made it clear to both the U.S. and Israel, that they will resist any such proposal and that the peace treaty with Israel is also at risk.
Egypt cannot afford to be seen as playing a part in the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, given the Egyptian public’s sentiment and support towards the Palestinian cause, and the discontent amongst the civil society over el-Sisi’s dealings with Israel. However, this isn’t primarily why they are opposed to the resettlement plan. El-Sisi’s main concern is related to security and the spilling over of the war in Gaza to Egypt. A report by the New York Times suggests that Egypt fears their soil could be used to attack Israel and invite Israeli military retaliation in return.
Additionally, el-Sisi rose to power by overthrowing the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is an extension. The fear that Hamas members among the displaced Palestinians could fan anti-government sentiment in the region is also one of the reasons behind his refusal to rehabilitate Palestinians.
Global response:
Trump’s proposal for a Gaza takeover has received a stern and critical response globally. Saudi Arabia, stressing their “firm, unwavering position” said that they will not establish any diplomatic ties with Israel without an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The United Arab Emirates, Iran, China, Russia, Turkey, Pakistan, Germany, France, Spain, South America, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Brazil have all spoken against the idea of displacing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
Foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, along with Palestinian Authority’s presidential adviser Hussein al-Sheikh have also written a joint letter to the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, expressing unequivocal support for Palestinians.
Within the United States too, Trump’s proposal has received backlash from both Democrats and Republicans. While the White House attempted to dial back some aspects of Trump’s plan for Gaza, the president has doubled down on his proposal
On February 9, while aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters that allowing Palestinians back in Gaza would be “a big mistake.”
“Think of it as a big real estate site,” he said. “The United States is going to own it and slowly, very slowly…develop it. We’re going to bring stability to the Middle East.”
Could this impact India?
India’s Ministry of External Affairs is yet to react to Trump’s proposal. India’s foreign policy has so far managed to straddle ties with both Israel and Palestine. However, growing tensions in the region have had a trickle-down impact on India, casting a shadow on some economic projects, mainly I2U2 and IMEC. A move, like the one Trump proposes, threatens to transform regional dynamics, which could further delay or entirely disrupt these collaboration initiatives.
The growing closeness between India and the U.S. could put further pressure on India to support Trump’s demands for a U.S.-owned Gaza Strip while trying to manage relations with Arab nations like Saudi Arabia and UAE, who have outrightly refused cooperation without a Gaza state. India’s position on the “I2U2’ is also likely to face scrutiny from West Asian countries, who are on edge over Trump’s remarks. India will have to delicately balance collaborations with both the U.S. and Israel without alienating key economic and strategic partners in the Middle East. Subsequently, if Trump’s plan actualises or even appears to, one can expect retaliation from armed groups in the region, such as the Houthis in Yemen. This could endanger the trade route via the Red Sea and have severe economic implications, including for India.
