‘We’ll take over’: Trump senselessly wants to seize the Gaza Strip
President Donald Trump has been touting the retaking of the Panama Canal and the annexation of Greenland. Amid his jokes about Canada as the “51st state” of the United States, the president has shifted his sights to the Gaza Strip.
In a joint press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, Trump announced the unthinkable: annexing the Gaza Strip. He talked about how Gaza has been reduced to rubble. His proposed solution is US control of the area. “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We’ll own it.” Trump doesn’t mince words and says that the United States will be responsible for rebuilding, but for whom is the bigger mystery.
Later on, Trump clarified that he sees this proposal as a “long-term ownership” of the land. He spoke in vague terms about the fate of Palestinians residing in the Gaza Strip and framed the area that can be inhabited by “the world’s people.” Essentially, it’s no longer just a land for Palestinians to live in. Whether Netanyahu is on board with this plan is unknown. He’s yet to comment on Trump’s plans regarding the hotly contested territory.
Widespread condemnation
Upon this announcement, politicians from both sides of the aisle were angered, shocked, and confused with Trump’s plan. Representative Rashida Tlaib from the Democratic Party tweeted on X, saying: “Palestinians aren’t going anywhere.” She also encouraged her colleagues who support the two-state solution to “speak up.” Republican Senator Thom Tillis told reporters, “Obviously it’s not going to happen. I don’t know under what circumstances it would make sense even, even for Israel.” He also said separately, “There’s probably a couple of kinks in that slinky.”
Trump’s comments aggravated U.S. allies and adversaries alike. Saudi Arabia claimed that it would not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without the creation of an independent Palestinian state. They further condemned infringement on the rights of Palestinians, “whether through Israeli settlement policies, land annexation, or attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land.” Meanwhile, Russia and China both believe that the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine should be the resolution. U.S. allies from Europe unequivocally disagree with Trump’s ambition to annex Gaza.
For now, it’s unclear if Trump has plans to put boots on the ground to take control of Gaza. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “The administration does not intend to pay for the reconstruction of Gaza, nor has it made any commitment to send U.S. troops there.”
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