Trump’s suggestion US ‘take over’ Gaza rejected by allies and adversaries alike

President Donald Trump’s proposal that the United States “take over” the Gaza Strip and permanently resettle its Palestinian residents has been swiftly rejected and denounced by American allies and adversaries alike.

Mr Trump’s suggestion came at a White House news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as the US President detailed a plan to build new settlements for Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip, and for the US to take “ownership” in redeveloping the war-torn territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East”.

“The US 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.”

Hamas, which sparked the war with its October 7 2023, attack on Israel, said Mr Trump’s proposal was a “recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region”.

“Instead of holding the Zionist occupation accountable for the crime of genocide and displacement, it is being rewarded, not punished,” the militant group said in a statement.

‘Unwavering’

Egypt, Jordan and other American allies in the Middle East have already rejected the idea of relocating more than two million Palestinians from Gaza elsewhere in the region.

Saudi Arabia, an important American ally, weighed in quickly with a sharply-worded statement, noting that its call for an independent Palestinian state was a “firm, steadfast and unwavering position”.

“The kingdom of Saudi Arabia also stresses what it had previously announced regarding its absolute rejection of infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, annexation of Palestinian lands or efforts to displace the Palestinian people from their land,” the statement said.

China also opposes the forced relocation of people in Gaza, with foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian saying: “China has always believed that Palestinian rule is the basic principle of post-war governance in Gaza.”

He reiterated Beijing’s longstanding support of a two-state solution in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Similarly, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Canberra, Australia that his country has long supported a two-state solution in the Middle East and that nothing had changed.

‘Arrogance’

“Australia’s position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year, as it was 10 years ago,” he said.

An official with Yemen’s Houthi rebels criticised Mr Trump’s comments.

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a Houthi leader, wrote on the social platform X that the US leader’s remarks represented “American arrogance” that will subsume all if it is met with “submission from the Arabs”.

“If Egypt or Jordan or both decide to challenge America, Yemen will stand with all its strength by its side, to the furthest extent and without red lines,” he added.

The Houthis launched attacks on Israel and commercial shipping running through the Red Sea corridor during the Israel-Hamas war. Its attacks have stopped with the ceasefire in the war, but transits through the Suez Canal, crucial to Egypt’s economy, halved during its campaign.

Mr Trump has already made waves — and upset long-time allies — suggesting the purchase of Greenland, the annexation of Canada and the possible takeover of the Panama Canal.

Gambit

It was not immediately clear whether the idea of taking over the Gaza Strip was a well-thought-out plan, or an opening gambit in negotiations.

Mr Albanese, whose country is one of the strongest American allies in the Asia-Pacific region, seemed frustrated to even be asked about the Gaza plan, underlining that his policies “will be consistent”.

“I’m not going to, as Australia’s prime minister, give a daily commentary on statements by the US president,” he said. “My job is to support Australia’s position.”

New Zealand’s foreign ministry said its “long-standing support for a two-state solution is on the record” and added that it, too, “won’t be commenting on every proposal that is put forward”.

Domestically, US House Speaker Mike Johnson praised a “bold action in hopes of achieving lasting peace in Gaza”.

“We are hopeful this brings much needed stability and security to the region,” he wrote on X.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also backed Mr Trump, writing on X: “Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas.”

Rejected

He added: “The United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again” – a play on Mr Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan. “Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people.”

However, American opposition politicians quickly rejected Mr Trump’s idea, with Democratic Senator Chris Coons calling his comments “offensive and insane and dangerous and foolish”.

The idea “risks the rest of the world thinking that we are an unbalanced and unreliable partner because our president makes insane proposals”, Mr Coons said, noting the irony of the proposal coming shortly after Mr Trump had moved to dismantle the US Agency for International Development.

“Why on earth would we abandon decades of well-established humanitarian programmes around the world, and now launch into one of the world’s greatest humanitarian challenges?” Mr Coons said.

Democrat Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian American member of Congress from Michigan, accused Mr Trump in a social media post of “openly calling for ethnic cleansing” with the idea of resettling Gaza’s entire population.