President Trump suggested on Tuesday that Palestinians be permanently relocated out of the Gaza Strip and that the US take over the territory, which has been reduced to rubble after more than 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas.
During a White House visit with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump reiterated his suggestion that neighboring Jordan and Egypt accept Gaza refugees. However, Trump made it clear on Tuesday that Palestinians would not be allowed to return to their homes in the coastal enclave, even after it was rebuilt.
“My hope is that we can do something so nice and good that they will not want to return. Why should they want to return? “It has been hell,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza,” he told reporters. “Gaza is not a place for people to live, and the only reason they want to return, and I strongly believe this, is because they have no other choice. … If they had a choice, they would rather not return to Gaza and instead live in a beautiful, safe alternative.”
Trump’s comments are his most extreme yet in suggesting that Palestinians be relocated from Gaza, which he referred to as a “demolition site.”
When asked if a Palestinian state was required to broker relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Trump was less specific.
“They have one demand. Do you know what it is? Peace.”
During a subsequent joint press conference with Netanyahu, Trump elaborated on his vision for a Gaza Strip that would not be rebuilt for Palestinians, but would be taken over and owned by the US.
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it,” Trump claimed. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all 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.”
Trump proposed that other neighboring countries invest millions of dollars to build “numerous sites or one large site” where Palestinians could relocate.
The president left the door open to using US troops to secure the Gaza Strip “if it’s necessary.”
Netanyahu described Trump’s proposal as “something that could change history, and it’s worthwhile really pursuing this avenue.”
US policy has consistently supported a two-state solution across multiple administrations, but Trump’s remarks call that into question, as do efforts to achieve Palestinian sovereignty.
Arab leaders in the region have said that efforts to displace Palestinians or relocate them to neighboring countries are futile. Egypt and Jordan, both of which have peace treaties with Israel, are opposed to absorbing Palestinians, claiming it poses a security risk, destabilizes the region, and threatens to spark widespread opposition.
Jordan already houses roughly 3 million Palestinians, many of whom have been displaced by previous wars. Trump suggested on Tuesday that Palestinians could be relocated to as many as a dozen locations, or just one. He provided no further information.
Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, the UAE, and a senior Palestinian official wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week to express their concerns.
“Not only would such an action be a clear violation of international law. It will pose a threat to regional stability and security,” the ministers wrote. “Palestinians don’t want to leave their homeland. We unequivocally support their position. Such a move will exacerbate the refugee problem.”
Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians out of Gaza for good appears to be politically difficult to implement — the population collectively opposes resettlement because it is perceived as undermining their rights.
Trump was helped to reelection by the Arab and Muslim populations in the United States, who were outraged by former President Biden’s handling of Gaza, which included billions of weapons being sent to Israel and Biden failing to champion humanitarian efforts at the start of the war.
And it was under Biden’s leadership that Israel launched a sustained military campaign in Gaza in response to the October 7 Hamas attacks that killed nearly 1,200 Israelis.
The Israeli response has reduced much of Gaza to rubble, and Palestinian health officials estimate that more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict as of mid-January, when a cease-fire was agreed upon.
A senior Trump administration official said earlier Tuesday that Trump “looks at the Gaza Strip and sees it as a demolition site” and “sees it as impractical for it to be rebuilt within three to five years, believes it will take at least 10 to 15 years, and thinks it’s inhumane to force people to live in an uninhabitable plot of land with unexploded ordnance and rubble.”
The Trump administration is overseeing the implementation of a cease-fire agreement announced in the last days of the Biden administration. The cease-fire agreement is divided into three phases. Israel and Hamas are sticking to the first phase of the agreement, and several hostages kidnapped following the Hamas attack have already been released.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu became the first foreign leader to visit the White House since Trump took office for a second term.
While Trump has occasionally criticized Netanyahu, including his acceptance of the 2020 election results and his handling of the Hamas war, the visit highlighted the importance of the relationship for both leaders.
“This demonstrates your friendship and support for the Jewish state and the Jewish people,” Netanyahu said at a joint press conference. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: You are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.”