Trump’s Gaza Strip Proposals Unlikely to Materialize, Officials Clarify
A series of proposals presented by President Donald Trump alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, and later echoed in a social media post, are unlikely to come to fruition. These include plans for the U.S. to take a “long-term ownership position” in the Gaza Strip, relocate its 1.8 million residents to a neighboring country, and redevelop the strip as the “riviera of the Middle East.”
Top officials from the Trump administration have since distanced themselves from these proposals. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have clarified that any relocation of Palestinians would be temporary while Gaza is rebuilt, and Americans would not bear the financial burden.
Trump has been discussing these ideas for several weeks now, with his son-in-law Jared Kushner having mentioned them months ago. However, there’s no evidence to suggest that anyone in the administration is actively working to implement these proposals. The White House National Security Council declined to comment on the matter, referring instead to Trump’s public statements.
In the Middle East, Trump’s remarks were not dismissed as mere rhetoric. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz swiftly responded to the proposals, indicating a regional awareness and engagement with the topic.
While Trump’s past statements have often been interpreted through the lens of taking them “seriously but not literally,” his recent proposals for Gaza’s future may fall more into the latter category given the lack of concrete action from his administration.