Trump’s ‘US Will Take Gaza’ Remark Criticised by Allies, Opponents

by The_unmuteenglish

Washington, 5 February 2025: World leaders have pushed back against former U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for the United States to “take over” the Gaza Strip and permanently resettle its Palestinian residents.

Speaking at a White House press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump suggested the U.S. would assume control of Gaza, clear unexploded ordnance, rebuild infrastructure, and create economic opportunities. Netanyahu smiled as Trump outlined the idea.

“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” Trump said. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings… create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs.”

However, leaders from several nations swiftly dismissed the proposal.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Palestinians must be allowed to “live and prosper in their homelands.”

“We must see Palestinians able to live and prosper in their homelands in Gaza, in the West Bank. That is what we want to get to,” Lammy said at a conference in Kyiv, according to AFP. He added that the UK would support Gaza’s reconstruction alongside Palestinian authorities and Gulf and Arab partners.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock rejected any forced displacement, stating, “The civilian population of Gaza must not be expelled and Gaza must not be permanently occupied or repopulated. It is clear that Gaza—like the West Bank and East Jerusalem—belongs to the Palestinians. They form the basis for a future Palestinian state.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called Trump’s suggestion incomprehensible.

“Where would Palestinians live? This is something incomprehensible to any human being,” Lula told local radio stations, according to Reuters. “Palestinians are the ones who need to take care of Gaza.”

France warned that forcibly relocating Palestinians would violate international law.

“France reiterates its opposition to any forced displacement of the Palestinian population of Gaza, which would constitute a serious violation of international law, an attack on the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians, but also a major obstacle to the two-state solution and a major destabilizing factor for our close partners Egypt and Jordan as well as for the entire region,” French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine said.

The Kremlin also dismissed the proposal, with a spokesperson reaffirming Russia’s support for a two-state solution.

“This is the thesis that is enshrined in the relevant U.N. Security Council resolution, this is the thesis that is shared by the overwhelming majority of countries involved in this problem. We proceed from it, we support it, and believe that this is the only possible option,” the Kremlin stated.

Meanwhile, Palestinian militant group Hamas condemned Trump’s remarks, saying they would escalate tensions in the region.

“Our Palestinian people… will not allow any state in the world to occupy our land or impose guardianship on our great Palestinian people who have offered rivers of blood to liberate our land from occupation and to establish our state with Jerusalem as its capital,” Hamas said in a statement.

 

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