US President Donald Trump has called the Gaza Strip a “demolition site” and said US authorities plan to take control of Gaza, “flatten it” and will make “the Riviera of the Middle East” of it, US media reported.
During a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and at a press conference after the talks, Trump said the Palestinians had “no choice” but to leave Gaza because of the destruction caused by the Israel-Hamas war. He described Gaza as a “very dangerous and unsecure demolition site” and said the Palestinians “would love to leave.”
The US president emphasised:
“I don’t know how they could want to stay. It’s a demolition site.”
Trump’s comments marked the first time he has publicly floated the idea of permanently relocating Palestinians from Gaza. In his opinion, it is possible to relocate Gazans to Jordan, Egypt or “other places.”
Trump stressed that Palestinians from Gaza should be relocated to “a beautiful area with homes and security so they can live their lives in peace and harmony.”
“The US will take control over the Gaza Strip and we will deal with it,” he said.
Trump said the US would “own” Gaza, be responsible for “dismantling all dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons” and clearing Gaza’s land of destroyed buildings. He also said Gaza should not be rebuilt “by the same people who led a miserable existence there.” The US president envisioned that the Palestinians of Gaza would move to a new place where “they will not be shot and killed.”
“The only reason the Palestinians want to go back to Gaza is because they have no alternative,” Trump said.
Not for Gazans
He believes the US will gain “long-term ownership” of Gaza, which will bring “greater stability” to the entire Middle East region. Trump claims that everyone he has spoken to is “thrilled with the idea that this piece of land will belong to the United States.” He also noted that US troops would be stationed in the Gaza Strip “if necessary.”
“The New Riviera” that Trump wants to build in Gaza will not be for Palestinians. He emphasised that the US is not going to pay for new homes for Palestinians and the new Gaza could be home to “people from all over the world.” At the same time, Trump said he “doesn’t necessarily support” Israeli settlements in Gaza.
Criticising the idea of creating a “Riviera”
Commenting on Trump’s statements, US Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said that the US president has “completely lost his mind.” Murphy said a US invasion of Gaza would lead to the deaths of thousands of American soldiers and decades of wars in the Middle East.
The Saudi government said shortly after Trump’s speech that it rejected any attempt to force Palestinians off their land. Saudi authorities emphasised that they would not establish relations with Israel unless a Palestinian state was established.
Meanwhile, Greece’s former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis wrote on X:
“Leave or die” Trump tells the Palestinians of Gaza endorsing the war crime of ethnic cleansing as official US policy. Europe now has to make its choice: Leave NATO immediately or forever be remembered as Trump’s lieutenant in this crime against humanity.”
