U.S. allies and adversaries alike on Wednesday denounced President Donald Trump’s proposal for the United States to take ownership of the Gaza Strip, force 2 million Palestinians to move to other countries and then turn the territory along the Mediterranean Sea into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
The world reaction to Trump’s suggestion, offered at a White House news conference Tuesday evening alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was swift and mostly universal in opposition to the idea advanced by the one-time New York real estate magnate.
Britain, China, Germany, Ireland, Russia and Spain said they continue to support a two-state solution — creation of an independent Palestinian state that would include Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank existing next to Israel. The two-state proposal, aimed at ending decades of Middle East conflict and wars, has long been the bedrock of U.S. policy in the region even though Netanyahu’s government opposes it.
Saudi Arabia, an important oil-producing American ally in the Middle East, weighed in quickly in a sharply worded statement, saying its call for an independent Palestinian state was a "firm, steadfast and unwavering position."
"Australia's position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year, as it was 10 years ago," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in support of a two-state solution.
Netanyahu offered support for the plan, saying Tuesday that one of his war goals is to ensure that Palestinian militant group Hamas never again poses a threat to Israel.
But Trump, Netanyahu said, is “taking it to a much higher level.”
“I think it’s something that could change history, and it’s worthwhile really pursuing this avenue,” he said.
Trump was noncommittal when asked Tuesday whether he supports the two-state solution. His plan on Gaza “doesn't mean anything about a two-state or one-state or any other state,” he said.
Palestinians, nearby countries reject Trump ideas
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for the United Nations to "protect the Palestinian people and their inalienable rights," saying that what Trump wanted to do would be "a serious violation of international law."
Hamas said Trump's Gaza 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."
Even before Trump called for U.S. ownership of Gaza, Egypt and Jordan had in recent days rejected his suggestion that Gaza’s Palestinian population be relocated to their countries.
Egypt's Foreign Ministry issued a statement stressing the need for rebuilding in Gaza "without moving the Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip."
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said Wednesday that deporting people from Israeli-occupied Gaza was illegal.
"The right to self-determination is a fundamental principle of international law and must be protected by all states, as the International Court of Justice recently underlined afresh,” Turk said in a statement. “Any forcible transfer in or deportation of people from occupied territory is strictly prohibited."
Trump sees ‘unlimited jobs’ with Gaza development
But Trump said at his news conference that Jordan's King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi would come around to his idea, contending they will "open their hearts and will give us the kind of land that we need to get this done and people can live in harmony and in peace."
Trump’s Gaza proposal was his first major Middle East policy statement since taking office for a second four-year term two weeks ago.
Trump said he envisioned building a resort on the shores of the Mediterranean where international communities could live in harmony.
Much of the coastal territory currently lies in ruins, after more than 15 months of Israeli bombardment that has killed more than 47,000 people, more than half women and children. The Israeli military says it has killed 17,000 Hamas militants.
Trump’s Gaza proposal comes amid a six-week ceasefire to halt the fighting that erupted Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and capturing 250 as hostages. About 60 living captives are still believed to be held by Hamas, a U.S.-designated terror group.
During the truce so far, Hamas has released 18 hostages, while Israel in exchange has freed hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
At his news conference, Trump said, "The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too. 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.
“Everybody I've spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent, in a really magnificent area,” he said.
Trump offered no details on how he plans to exert control over Gaza, which has been decimated by the war, but he did not rule out sending in U.S. troops.
“If it’s necessary, we’ll do that. We’re going to take over that piece, and we’re going to develop it,” he said.
Trump’s Gaza ownership idea was a pronounced shift from his past criticism of America’s involvement in Middle East conflicts. Trump said he envisions a “long-term ownership position” for the U.S. that would bring “great stability to that part of the Middle East, and maybe the entire Middle East.”
“This was not a decision made lightly,” he said.
The U.S. leader’s Gaza overture was his latest suggestion of an American show of force in far-flung reaches of the world. He has voiced the need for the U.S. to retake control of the Panama Canal from the Panamanian government; buy Greenland, for centuries a Danish territory, and for Canada to be annexed to become the 51st U.S. state.
Panama, Denmark and Canada have all rejected his demands.
Reactions in the United States
Several U.S. lawmakers joined the chorus of world leaders opposing Trump’s Gaza offering.
Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware called the comments "offensive and insane and dangerous and foolish."
The idea, Coons said, "risks the rest of the world thinking that we are an unbalanced and unreliable partner because our president makes insane proposals.”
Coons noted the irony of the proposal coming shortly after Trump had moved to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, the prime conduit for U.S. foreign aid.
Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian American member of Congress from Michigan, accused Trump in a social media post of "openly calling for ethnic cleansing" with the idea of resettling Gaza's entire population.
But a Trump supporter, Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina, adopted a light-hearted assessment, saying, “Let’s turn Gaza into Mar-A-Lago,” referring to Trump’s Atlantic oceanside resort residence and club in south Florida that he calls the Winter White House.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, the leader of the narrow Republican majority in the House of Representatives, offered support for Trump’s Gaza takeover, saying, “Yeah, we're trying to get the details of it, but I think this is a good development.”
Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune, in a neutral view, said Trump “wants a more peaceful and secure Middle East and put some ideas out there."
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
