‘No, they wouldn’t’: Trump implies that Palestinians don’t have a right to return to Gaza
President Donald Trump sent politicians from both ends of the political spectrum into shock after he announced his intention to annex the Gaza Strip. While he seemed to have backtracked on this, he recently reaffirmed his statement in a separate interview.
During a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said that the United States will “take over the Gaza Strip.” He explained that the United States will be rebuilding the area. Additionally, Trump saw this move as a “long-term ownership” of the highly disputed territory. Trump doubles down on the idea of putting Gaza under United States control in a Bret Baier interview.
“We’ll build safe communities a little bit away from where they are,” said Trump about Palestinians who are currently in Gaza. “In the meantime, I will own all of this. Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It will be a beautiful piece of land.”
Baier cut the president off to clarify, “Will the Palestinians have the right to return?”
Trump denied that possibility. “No, they wouldn’t. Because they’re going to have much better housing. In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them.” The president cites that it will take years to rebuild Gaza, and it’s only right to build homes for Palestinians away from the destruction. Trump doesn’t explain where these new homes will be built or why Palestinians can’t be part of the rebuilding process. Regardless, Trump’s vague wording of his proposal suggests that Palestinians will be expelled from their land. After all, Trump himself thinks that Gaza can be bought. But from whom, and what authority does he have to purchase sovereign territory? This too is unclear.
Backlash everywhere
All this begs another important question: Where will Palestinians go from here? During the press conference with Netanyahu, Trump suggested that Egypt and Jordan should take Palestinians as refugees. He may be implying that Palestinians should settle in those countries instead, if not build homes elsewhere in Israeli lands. Either way, there is no clear blueprint for Trump’s controversial plan.
Unsurprisingly, Trump’s statement received backlash all over social media. One X user wrote, “Even George W. Bush wouldn’t have said this.” Bush was highly criticized for invading Iraq under the pretense of national security. A commenter from YouTube mused that if former President Biden proposed the same thing, Fox News’ commentators would’ve been critical.
The disagreement against Trump’s sentiments went beyond social media platforms. Democrats condemned Trump’s call to push people out of Gaza, and even some Republicans are hesitant about Trump’s proposed campaign. After all, America First was Trump’s campaign promise. Proposing to take over Gaza will mean the deployment of United States troops. Palestinians are already refusing to leave and expressed disappointment in Trump’s statement. Should the worst happen, Palestinians will resist Trump’s takeover.
Meanwhile, allies from the European Union decried Trump’s intention to annex Gaza and blatantly called it ethnic cleansing. China and Russia, on the other hand, reiterated that a two-state solution is preferred.
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