Trump’s proposal has no funding or approval of any country but Israel. And it would put US troops in a war zone.
In a video announcement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump says “The US will take over the Gaza strip and we will do a job with it too. And we will own it.“
Here’s another video worth watching: President Trump says the Gaza Strip will become the “Riviera of the Middle East” just minutes after saying the U.S. would “take over” the Strip.
Please consider Trump says ‘US will take over the Gaza Strip’ — after relocating ‘all’ Palestinians
President Trump proposed a US takeover of the Gaza Strip Tuesday — shortly after proposing removing “all” Palestinians living there.
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” Trump said at a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“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 and create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.”
Trump said that the roughly 2 million Gaza Strip residents would be relocated to neighboring countries.
“Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years,” he said at the press conference.
Five Problems
- Trump said he would deploy US troops to the territory “if it’s necessary.” Well, it would be necessary.
- Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan all disagree. They do not want Palestinians and the associated violence.
- The US does not want Palestinian refugees. Nor does Israel. Nor does the EU.
- The Palestinians do not want to be forcibly be removed and no country wants them anyway.
- There is no funding for Trump’s proposed military operation or cleanup operation.
Arab Countries Reject Trump Proposal
Fox News reports Arab countries reject Trump proposal to move Palestinians from Gaza into Egypt and Jordan
The foreign ministers of Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, as well as the Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States met in Cairo, Egypt, on Saturday, and released a joint statement afterward detailing matters that the leadership of the powerful Arab countries agreed upon.
Their agreements included “expressing the continued full support for the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their land and their adherence to their legitimate rights under international law.” The statement said the officials “affirmed their rejection of any violation of these inalienable rights, whether through settlement activities, the expulsion and demolition of homes, land annexation, or the displacement of Palestinians from their land.”
“They also rejected any efforts to encourage the transfer or uprooting of Palestinians from their land, under any circumstances or justifications,” the statement, released in English by the Qatari government, said. “Such actions, they noted, threaten regional stability, exacerbate the conflict, and undermine the prospects for peace and coexistence among the region’s peoples.”
“I’d like Egypt to take people,” Trump said. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over.’”
“It’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there,” Trump said of the destruction caused by the 15-month war. “So, I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change.”
Last week, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said the transfer of Palestinians from Gaza “can’t ever be tolerated or allowed.”
“The solution to this issue is the two-state solution. It is the establishment of a Palestinian state,” he reportedly said at a news conference. “The solution is not to remove the Palestinian people from their place. No.”
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi also said that his country’s opposition to Trump’s idea was “firm and unwavering.”
Ready, Fire, Aim
This could easily take months of negotiation in Congress. And so can Trump’s economic agenda which now seems to be on the back border.
But the Gaza strip idea is not going anywhere unless Arab states reconsider their clear position. I view that as unlikely.