'We'll own it': Trump wants to make Gaza a holiday hub without Palestinians
If US President Donald Trump has his way, his son-in-law Jared Kushner may well be able to develop the waterfront hotels in Gaza that he touted last year.
On Tuesday, at a stunning joint press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump announced the US will be taking over and running Gaza, potentially for the foreseeable future.
“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,” Trump told reporters after a three-hour meeting with Netanyahu.
Earlier in the day he insisted that Palestinians have no other alternative but to leave Gaza and go somewhere “good, fresh, beautiful” without the prospect of returning, and again called on Jordan and Egypt to take in the forcibly expelled Palestinians, along with other unnamed countries.
When pressed on the issue, Trump said Jordan and Egypt may be able to say no to his predecessor Joe Biden, but they can’t say no to him, alluding to his abilities as a negotiator.
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Jordan and Egypt have so far rejected the notion of taking in Palestinians, and the expulsion of residents of Gaza has been roundly condemned by Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, and regional power players like Turkey.
Gaza, Trump said, is “a demolition site. Virtually every building is down. They're living under fallen concrete that's very dangerous and very precarious”.
“They instead can occupy all of a beautiful area with homes and safety, and they can live out their lives in peace and harmony, instead of having to go back and do it again,” he added.
The president did not rule out the use of US troops for the mission, adding that only US control could bring “great stability to that part of the Middle East”.
“The US 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.”
When asked exactly who would live in the Gaza he envisions, Trump said, “the world’s people.”
“I think we’ll make that into an international, unbelievable place. I think the potential in the Gaza Strip is unbelievable,” he said. “And I think the entire world… will be there, and they'll live there. Palestinians, also. Palestinians will live there.”
When pressed further Trump said "mostly Palestinians" will be living there but when asked if Palestinians would be able to return to Gaza under his plan he remained non-committal.
When asked whether the US would recognise Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank - in contravention of international law - Trump said: “We’re discussing that with many of your representatives. You’re represented very well… [but] we haven’t been taking the position on it yet.”
Trump added that he would decide on Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank in four weeks.
Leveraging Arab leaders
Trump built up his family fortune in real estate in New York and around the country before becoming a reality TV star, and then US president.
“I don't want to be a wise guy, but the riviera of the Middle East, this…. could be so magnificent,” he said.
A coastal tourist area along Gaza’s Mediterranean coast, Trump said, would be “world-class”.
“I have a feeling that the King in Jordan and the General in Egypt will open their hearts and will give us the kind of land that we need to get this done,” he added in reference to King Abdullah and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Jordan and Egypt are consistently among the top three recipients of US military aid after Israel, figures from the Department of State and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) show.
In the latest figures from 2023, both Arab nations received more than $1.5bn from Washington, while Israel received more than $3.3bn.
Cairo and Amman also happened to be the first two governments in the region to normalise relations with Israel.
When asked earlier in the day in the Oval Office whether Saudi Arabia has loosened its conditions for normalisation with Israel, Trump suggested the kingdom no longer needed to see a Palestinian state to proceed with a deal.
For its part, Saudi Arabia said its commitment to a Palestinian state is “firm and unwavering”.
“I think peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia is not only feasible. I think it's going to happen,” Netanyahu said. “I'm committed to achieving it.”
The Israeli prime minister heaped praise on Trump, calling him the “greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.”
“In the first days of your second term, you picked up right where you left off. Your leadership [helped] bring our hostages home. Among them, American citizens,” Netanyahu said.
“You ended unjust sanctions against law-abiding Israeli citizens,” he added, in reference to the Israeli settlers that have torched Palestinian homes and who later faced sanctions imposed by the Biden administration.
Netanyahu then praised Trump for confronting antisemitism, for stopping funding to the United Nations agency for Palestine refugees (Unrwa) and for restoring the "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran.
“Ladies and gentlemen, all this in just two weeks. Can we imagine where we'll be in four years?”
'Hated' punishing Iran
On Iran, Trump said he “hated” signing the executive order to return to the “maximum pressure” campaign from his first term, which was intended to squeeze Tehran and even lead to regime change.
“I hated doing it. I want Iran to be peaceful and successful. I hated doing it,” the president told reporters. “I did it once before, and we brought them down to a level where they were unable to give any money. They had to survive themselves, and they had no money.
“I say this to Iran, who is listening very intently,” Trump said in response to a question about direct talks with the Islamic Republic.
“I would love to be able to make a great deal, a deal where you can get on with your lives, and you'll do wonderfully.”
But he only had one condition: “They cannot have a nuclear weapon. It's very simple.”
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