In a sensational and contentious statement on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced America will “take over” the Gaza Strip — possibly with U.S. troops to occupy a security vacuum — and issue an invitation to Palestinians residing in it to leave. In a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump’s statement, a radical new direction in U.S. foreign affairs, prompted immediate criticism from Palestinian groups and international observers.
Trump’s statement, in describing a new “Riviera” in Gaza, broached a scenario in which America took full possession of the region. Trump mentioned U.S. ownership of Gaza, stating, “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too.” ” He further elaborated that the U.S. would be responsible for dismantling unexploded bombs, removing dangerous weapons, and clearing the area of its destroyed infrastructure.
“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,” Trump said, in a description that raises a host of logistical and legal questions about how such a monumental task would be carried out. The President seems to envisage a new development proposal for Gaza in its transformation into an area with advanced facilities nearer to a luxury resort.
Asked about some possible American military presence perhaps to provide security during the transition, Trump did not hesitate in suggesting the deployment of U.S. troops. “As far as Gaza is concerned, we’ll do what is necessary. If it’s necessary, we’ll do that,” he said. We’re going to take over that piece and we’re going to develop it,” Trump asserted.
The declaration represents a total change from previous U.S. policy toward Gaza which has remained centrally important throughout the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. During previous times the United States favored Israel’s self-defense rights alongside its support for establishing separate states for Israel and Palestine. Trump’s recent proposal indicates substantial changes in America’s Mideast policies which will influence regional political relations across the Middle East.
The Displacement
Various groups have raised immediate complaints about the plan to displace the population of two million Palestinians who live in Gaza. Various human rights organizations show strong worry for the possible additional civilian movement following decades of deprivation and conflict. “This would be a catastrophic move for the Palestinian people,” said Omar Shakir, director of Human Rights Watch’s Israel and Palestine division. “To suggest that the U.S. could forcibly remove Palestinians from their homeland is both illegal and immoral.”
Trump’s comments also raise questions about the legal and ethical implications of such a proposal. Forcibly relocating civilians from their homes is a breach of international law, as is the notion of U.S. control over Gaza without the approval of its residents, which would only provoke and destabilize a region with myriad issues.
Many analysts are also skeptical of the practicality of such an ambitious plan. Would the United States hand over tens of thousands of soldiers and material to explain the transition as a region fraught with political instability and continuing conflict between the Israeli forces and the Palestinian militant groups? How much it would cost, and who would pay for the rebuilding? Trump’s answers on these key questions have been vague, at best, and most analysts don’t think his proposal is workable.
The proposal also differs sharply with Trump’s 2016 rhetoric about the U.S.’s role in the Middle East. Since coming to office, Trump has been an outspoken critic of what he called excessive U.S. military interventions abroad, vowing to bring American troops home and decrease the country’s involvement in foreign conflicts. His comments about Gaza seem to contradict these earlier stances and hint at a more interventionist stance in the region.
The international community’s full reaction to Trump’s statements remains to be seen, but the proposal is certain to meet stiff opposition from both Palestinian leaders and many Arab countries. What will happen to Gaza is unclear, but the stakes in the Middle East have risen again, thanks to Trump’s comments.
It is still too early to tell whether this ambitious and unorthodox plan will result in concrete action, or whether it will vanish into the ether of political posturing as the world looks on. But the implications of these remarks are evident: they have also paved the way for a new U.S. foreign policy chapter, one that may largely determine the future of Gaza and the Middle East more broadly.
