Trump Says US Should Take Over Gaza, Turn It Into ‘Riviera of Middle East’

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday night that the United States should take “ownership” of Gaza, turning it into “the Riviera of the Middle East” after its population of 1.8 million Palestinians is moved to other countries in the region.

“The only reason the Palestinians want to go back to Gaza is they have no alternative,” Trump declared as he stood next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel during a press conference in the East Room at the White House.

“It’s just a demolition site now, virtually every building is down,” he said of the region, which was pounded to rubble as Israel sought to destroy Hamas in the wake of its unprecedented Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israeli civilians.

“The people who remain there are living under falling concrete that’s very dangerous and very precarious,” Trump continued. “So it’s a situation where you really can’t go back. If you do, it’s just going to end up the same way it’s been for 100 years.

“I’m hopeful that the [current] ceasefire could be the beginning of a larger and more enduring peace that will end the bloodshed and killing once and for all,” the president said.

With that, he added, “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too.” 

“We will own it” he said, vowing to be responsible for clearing the tangled wreckage of war, disposing of unexploded munitions, and creating “an economic development that will supply the people of the area with unlimited numbers of real jobs.”

Ultimately, he said, he envisioned Gaza, for decades a seaside point of contention between Israel and its Arab neighbors, being transformed into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”

“We’ll make sure that it’s done world-class. It’ll be wonderful,” he said.

He also said he wouldn’t rule out deploying U.S. troops to support what he described as a “long-term” reconstruction effort. 

Trump’s audacious proposal seemed to stun the 120 or so reporters crowded into the room, the site of so many historic events at the White House, including President Jimmy Carter, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin signing the Camp David Accords in September 1978.

Among the murmurs in the room one could clearly make out “What did he just say?” rising above the din.

His comments came as talks are underway this week over how to help the residents of Gaza begin to recover after 15 months of nearly unrelenting conflict.

They also came after both Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Jordanian King Abdullah II rejected Trump’s calls to resettle Gazans in their countries.

They and other U.S. allies in the region have told the president they believe relocating the Palestinians from Gaza would threaten Mideast stability and risk expanding the conflict.

A redevelopment like Trump envisions would also likely be the death-knell of the two-state solution that many have sought for the region.

But Trump expressed confidence that both Egypt and Jordan, and other unnamed countries in the region will ultimately come around to his way of thinking and agree to take in Palestinian refugees.

“You look over the decades, it’s all death in Gaza,” he said at one point Tuesday night. “This has been happening for years. It’s all death.”

His goal, he said, is to “get a beautiful area to resettle people, permanently, in nice homes where they can be happy and not be shot and not be killed and not be knifed to death like what’s happening in Gaza.”

Netanyahu arrived at the White House in the late afternoon on Tuesday and met with the president for about two hours before the press conference began.

In his opening remarks, he observed that his being the first foreign dignitary invited to the White House in Trump’s second term, “is a testament to your friendship and support for the Jewish state and the Jewish people.”

Turning toward the president, he added, “I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, you are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House. That’s why the people of Israel have such enormous respect for you.”

He went on to credit Trump for bringing “fresh ideas” to the table to achieve the goals of peace.

“You see things others refuse to see. You say things others refuse to say,” Netanyahu said.

Asked directly what he thought of Trump’s proposal, the Israeli prime minister said Trump, “sees a different future for a piece of land that has been the focus of so much terrorism, and so many attacks, and so many trials and tribulations.

“He has a different idea, and I think it’s worth paying attention to,” Netanyahu said. “We’re talking about it. He’s exploring it with his people, his staff. I think it’s something that could change history, and it’s worthwhile really pursuing this.”

Among those who disagree are the leaders of Saudi Arabia.

Moments after Trump’s comments were broadcast to the world, the Saudi foreign ministry issued a statement in which it said its call for the creation of an independent Palestinian state was its “firm, steadfast and unwavering position.” 

“The duty of the international community today is to work to alleviate the severe human suffering endured by the Palestinian people, who will remain committed to their land and will not budge from it,” the statement said.

Perhaps anticipating such a reaction, Trump said at one point Tuesday night, ““I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East, the entire Middle East … this was not a decision made lightly. 

“Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs … in an effort to create something that will be really magnificent for the area,” he continued.

“If you look at this area today, all you see is death and destruction and rubble and demolished buildings falling over. It’s just a terrible, terrible sight,” Trump said. “I’ve studied it. I’ve studied this very closely over a lot of months, and I’ve seen it from every different angle.

“It’s a very, very dangerous place to be, and it’s only going to get worse,” he said as he cautioned against maintaining the status quo in the region.

“If the United States can help to bring stability and peace in the Middle East, we’ll do that,” he said.

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