In an exclusive interview with Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier, aired on Monday, President Donald Trump outlined a controversial vision for the United States to secure a “long-term ownership position” in the Gaza Strip following the end of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The conflict, which intensified after Hamas’s surprise attack on October 7, 2023, resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and over 250 hostages taken.
Trump proposed that “great people” in the Middle East could finance the reconstruction of the devastated area. He suggested that Palestinians would not return to Gaza, instead arguing, “they will have much better housing. Much better – in other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them.”
This plan includes relocating Palestinians to neighboring countries during the rebuilding phase, a move that has been outright rejected by key U.S. allies, Jordan and Egypt. King Abdullah II of Jordan is set to address this proposal directly with Trump at the White House on Tuesday.
Simultaneously, Egypt has planned an emergency Arab summit to tackle the escalating Palestinian issues, highlighting the international concern over Trump’s proposals.
Trump expressed confidence in negotiating with Egypt and Jordan, citing the billions of dollars in U.S. aid provided to these countries. He described a vision where the current structures in Gaza would be demolished to eliminate Hamas’s presence, stating, “We move them into beautiful areas of the Middle East.”
“We’ll build beautiful communities for the 1.9 million people. We’ll build beautiful communities. Safe communities. [It] could be five, six could be two. But we’ll build safe communities a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is. In the meantime, I would own this. Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land,” Trump elaborated, indicating a significant shift in U.S. policy towards the region if implemented.
This proposal has stirred a wide range of reactions, from those who see potential in revitalizing the area to others who view it as a drastic and possibly unfeasible alteration to the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East.
