President Donald Trump doubled down on his proposal to “take” Gaza Tuesday during a meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan. The proposal is part of a larger plan for the rebuilding of Gaza under U.S. ownership, first announced during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
When asked if Palestinians in Gaza would have a right to return to the territory, Trump said, “No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing…We’ll build safe communities, a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is.” The plan received backlash from leaders in the Middle East, many of whom support the rebuilding of Gaza without the displacement of Palestinians.
Israel and Hamas are back on track for their hostage exchange as part of the ceasefire deal signed earlier this year. It was on shaky ground this week with Hamas originally declining to release the number of hostages agreed on previously. With the second and third phases of the ceasefire plan still to go, there is no clear date as to when the reconstruction of Gaza will begin, and many plans are still being formed on how to do so.
Thomas L. Friedman (Lean Left bias) wrote in the New York Times Opinion (Left bias), “That may work in the movies, but in real life, if the Trump administration actually tries to force Jordan and Egypt or any other Arab state to accept the Palestinians living in Gaza — and have the Israeli Army round them up and deliver them, since Trump has said the transfer would not involve U.S. troops and not cost American taxpayers a dime — it will destabilize the demographic balance in Jordan between East Bankers and Palestinians, destabilize Egypt and destabilize Israel.”
The Washington Free Beacon (Right bias) ran an article stating, “Trump’s focus on what has long been seen as an impossible policy proposal signals that the new administration is willing to significantly recalibrate America’s traditional posture in the region. Trump argued that Gaza is no longer fit for human habitation after Hamas turned it into a de facto military bunker. He also argued that its residents would continue to suffer if they stayed there.”
Mother Jones (Left bias) published an article that read, “Trump’s extreme rhetoric about taking over Gaza might obscure the things he already is doing to further immiserate Palestinians. On Wednesday, he signed an executive order that stopped US funding for UNRWA, the United Nations agency responsible for Palestinians, which is the most important humanitarian organization in Gaza… Trump sees the world through the lens of real estate deals, not morality or international law.”
A writer for ZeroHedge (Lean Right bias) wrote, “Trump has been specifically pressuring Egypt and Jordan to take in the Gaza Strip's one million plus Palestinians. But the reality is that it will simply be a non-starter and practically impossible, without Arab support. The Arabs in turn have blasted this as brazen and open ethnic cleansing campaign of historic and sovereign territory. The United Nation has also issued such condemnations.”
