Trump says U.S. will “take over the Gaza Strip” during news conference with Netanyahu
President Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. would “take over the Gaza Strip” and “own it,” continuing to promote the idea that the Palestinian people should live elsewhere.
Mr. Trump, whose comments came at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the Palestinians in Gaza “should not go through a process of rebuilding” and that they had “lived a miserable existence there.” Earlier in the afternoon, during a meeting with Netanyahu in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump said the Palestinians should “resettle permanently” in “nice homes” somewhere else.
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Mr. Trump said. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings — level it out. Create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area. Do a real job. Do something different.”
“Just can’t go back,” he continued. “If you go back, it’s gonna end up the same way it has for a hundred years.”
Netanyahu, who is the first foreign leader to visit Mr. Trump during his second term, said of the president’s idea, “We’re talking about it. He’s exploring it with his people, with his staff. I think it’s something that could change history, and it’s worthwhile really pursuing this avenue.”
On whether U.S. troops would be sent to Gaza, the president said, “As far as Gaza is concerned, we’ll do what is necessary. If it’s necessary, we’ll do that.”
“We’re going to take over that piece,” Mr. Trump added. “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.”
The president was asked by a reporter what authority he has to take over a sovereign territory, and he replied that he’s studied the matter closely for months.
“I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East, and maybe the entire Middle East,” Mr. Trump said.
The president said his decision about taking over Gaza “was not a decision made lightly,” and he claimed he’s received praise from other leaders in the Middle East, though he did not identify any by name. Two sources said later that top Trump aides knew in advance of Netanyahu’s visit that the president planned to announce the proposal regarding U.S. ownership of Gaza.
Leaders of several of the most powerful Arab nations previously said they strongly opposed any suggestion that residents of Gaza be resettled in other countries.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said in a statement reported by the Reuters news agency Wednesday that the kingdom “rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land” and wouldn’t establish diplomatic ties with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman affirmed the kingdom’s position in “a clear and explicit manner” that does not allow for any interpretation under any circumstances, the statement said.
Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri was also quick to dismiss the idea out of hand, telling Reuters the president’s “remarks about his desire to control Gaza are ridiculous and absurd, and any ideas of this kind are capable of igniting the region.”
Hamas also called Mr. Trump “racist” and said his plan aims to “eliminate the Palestinian cause,” according to Agency France-Presse.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat and the first Palestinian-American to serve in Congress, was blunt, asserting in a post on X that Trump was “openly calling for ethnic cleansing.”
In the past, Mr. Trump has voiced support for a “realistic two-state solution.” Gaza, a 139-square-mile strip of land that shares borders with Israel and Egypt, has been fought over for years. Palestinians have been refugees for decades, since Israel gained control of it in the 1967 Six-Day War with Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
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