The New York Times reported that several advisers to Trump expected the idea of ownership of the Gaza Strip to “die away quietly as it became clear” to the president “that it was unfeasible.”
US President Donald Trump’s proposal to “take over” Gaza and displace millions of Palestinians from the enclave has left more questions than answers, the New York Times reported.
Hours after Trump’s announcement on Tuesday following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it was clear “No actual details existed,” the paper reported, as senior administration officials did not have “substantive answers” on how the proposal would work.
Politics or Empty Rhetoric? Examining Trump’s Call for Ethnic Cleansing in Gaza
The Times cited several senior officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, that they were “still trying to figure out the genesis of the idea, and considered it fantastical even for Mr. Trump.”
Two people close to Trump “insisted it was his idea alone; one said they had never heard him mention the involvement of U.S. troops before Tuesday,” the paper noted.
No Previous Discussion
Although his announcement “looked formal,” according to the paper,” his administration had not done even the most basic planning to examine the feasibility of the idea.” This, said the paper, was “according to four people with knowledge of the discussions, who were not authorized to speak publicly.”
Questions such as how the proposal would work, and the number of US troops required to “clear out Hamas and the mountains of rubble, and defuse all the unexploded ordnance,” have since arisen.
Breaking News: Top Trump administration officials walked back the president’s remarks after he proposed the U.S. “take over” Gaza and drive out Palestinians. Experts said the plan would violate international law. https://t.co/Pob4Ay9KTs
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 5, 2025
Trump said the US “will take over the Gaza Strip and “own it” in addition to leveling the site to “get rid of the destroyed buildings.”
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, is a real estate developer and investor, like the US president, “who has done business in the region,” said the paper. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also a real estate investor, came under fire in March last year for describing waterfront property in Gaza “as very valuable” and suggesting Israel moves “the people out and then clean it up.”
The NY Times reported that several advisers to Trump expected the idea of ownership of the Gaza Strip to “die away quietly as it became clear” to the president “that it was unfeasible.”
Extremism Risk
Former US ambassador to Israel, Daniel B. Shapiro, said the idea was not “serious” and risked causing more extremism, according to the paper.
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“This is not a serious proposal. The U.S. taking over Gaza, at massive cost in dollars and troops, is about as likely as Mexico paying for the wall or the United States seizing Iraq’s oil,” he is quoted as saying.
Shapiro said the “danger” was that “extremists within the Israeli government and terrorists of various stripes will take it literally and seriously, and start to act on it.”
He warned that it “could imperil the further release of hostages, put a target on the back of U.S. personnel and undercut prospects of a Saudi-Israel normalization deal.”
Gaza Beachfront ‘Possibilities’
The US president also reiterated his call, during his meeting with Netanyahu, for Palestinians to be displaced to Egypt and Jordan, a proposal rejected by the Arab states.
As I seem to be shadowbanned, I repeat:
The “riviera plan” for Gaza is nonsense, which nonetheless must be taken very seriously. President Trump has basically declared his intention to commit the int’l crime of forced displacement and resort to unlawful use of force against the… https://t.co/CyqfBzZh9u
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) February 5, 2025
Trump’s former ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, was also surprised by Trump’s proposal, the Times reported. However, he thought the idea was “brilliant and out of the box creative,” adding that despite sounding “like a real estate guy,” he could imagine the “possibilities presented by ‘25 miles of sunset-facing beachfront.’”
Israeli officials welcomed Trump’s proposal as “the dawn of a new day” and “proof of the deep alliance” between the US and Israel.
Hamas Condemnation
The Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas meanwhile condemned Trump’s proposal, calling it “a recipe for creating chaos” in the region.
‘Law of the Jungle’ – Hamas Urges Trump to Retract ‘Irresponsible Remarks’
“We strongly condemn and reject the statements of US President Trump aimed at the occupation of the Gaza Strip by the United States and the displacement of our Palestinian people from it,” Hamas said in a statement on Wednesday.
The movement said Trump’s “remarks are hostile to our people and our cause, will not serve stability in the region, and will only add fuel to the fire. We will not allow any country in the world to occupy our land or impose guardianship over our great Palestinian people.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
