Written by Akshar Patel
Edited by Eliza Dorton and Annika Lilja
The following article is an opinion piece
During the leadup to the 2024 election, many were skeptical about Trump’s campaign promise to end the bloodshed between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East; how would he be able to find a compromise in a war where both sides are intent on the complete destruction of the other side? That question was answered on the 6th of February, 2025, when at a White House press conference and meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump announced plans for the US to take over the Gaza Strip—and, ambitiously, permanently settle the Israeli-Palestinian crisis in Gaza by resettling all Gazans and redeveloping the area.
As reported by the Times of Israel, at the press conference, Trump stated, “The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too. 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. Level it out. Create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area. Do a real job. Do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for a hundred years.”
This statement came as a shock to many in the US and across the world. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later clarified Trump’s position, stating that the Trump Administration was working with Jordan, Egypt, and other countries in the Middle East to carry this plan through. Trump later clarified in a post on Truth Social that there would be no American troops on the ground and in harm's way in Gaza.
Still, the explanations of Trump’s words from his administration did little to quell the backlash from Palestinians and the international community. According to the Guardian, Pakistan stated the proposal was “deeply troubling and unjust,” Iran “categorically rejected and condemned” the plan, Egypt predicted it would cause a return to fighting in the region, and the international organization Human Rights Watch said the plan would mean the US would “directly perpetrate atrocities.” All of this comes after a tenuous ceasefire between the two sides, which was negotiated in January.
Domestically, reactions have been mixed, even among Trump’s own supporters. During the 2024 election, many Arab-Americans in key swing states such as Michigan voted for Trump over Kamala Harris, who they opposed for being complicit in sending aid to Israel. Now, many of those who did vote for Trump feel betrayed by his actions. Two Arab-American mayors in the greater Detroit area who previously campaigned with Trump have “gone silent,” in the words of Politico. In an interview, one Dearborn resident stated they “think we screwed up but we’re not going to admit it” (Politico). Some non-Muslim Trump voters feel disappointed in Trump’s recent rhetoric as well, questioning how taking over a war-torn land thousands of miles away from North America would align with the “America First” policies they voted for. As reported by Reuters, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) posted, “We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers blood,” on X.
The decision to take over the Gaza Strip follows a series of empire-building rhetoric from Trump, whether it be annexing Greenland, retaking the Panama Canal, or making Canada state number 51. In order to understand Trump’s point of view, it would be necessary to steelman his position. To “steelman” means to try to accurately argue for an opposing point of view to try and understand it better.
In this situation, Trump is thinking like a real estate developer, not a politician—fitting given it’s what first made him billions and propelled him to fame. What he sees is an area of land (property), devoid of basically any value except for a ruined concrete jungle, and a people (residents), who have been bombed, harassed, enclosed, imprisoned, and even used as human shields by both Zionists and Islamic extremists for decades. If you were responsible for an apartment building that put its residents in immediate danger, and it was practically impossible to renovate or fix (as seen by the failure of previous administrations to quell the Israeli-Palestinian conflict), you would want to a) evacuate residents from the building and compensate them with homes elsewhere and b) demolish the property and build something new in order to make use of the area and location as best as possible to return a profit.
Trump sees trying to make two people who he believes have historically been unable to peacefully coexist together as futile and nonsensical. Why spend so much effort working on a ceasefire when it will eventually crumble as war reignites (as it always seems to do in the region)? All the Palestinians have ever wanted was land of their own and a peaceful existence; Trump sees Gaza as not relevant to this equation. To make a return on investment after spending money on rehousing Palestinians somewhere else, it’s only natural for the ex-property mogul to think about resorts and casinos. Trump believes this is a win-win-win: a win for the Palestinians, who won’t have to face constant violence anymore, a win for the Israelis, who won’t have to face the threat of Hamas anymore, and a win for the US, who can benefit from the revenue generated at the Gaza Resorts.
Of course, this all sounds nice in theory, but there are many questions left unanswered. What if the host countries don’t want any Palestinian refugees? How can we be sure the Gazans will adapt to their new home, if they even receive any compensation for new homes? What will Israel’s role in this be? Is this just naked imperialism? We already saw a glimpse of the first question when Saudi Arabia, which the Trump Administration was hoping would cooperate in resettling Palestinians, rejected Trump’s plan outright. With so many uncertain variables surrounding the proposal, it remains to be seen whether it will play out in the way Trump and Netanyahu intend it to in the near future.
Sources:
https://timesofisrael.com/full-text-trump-at-press-conference-with-netanyahu-says-us-will-take-over-gaza/
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g9xgj2429o
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/6/us-officials-walk-back-elements-of-trumps-gaza-takeover-plan
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/i-thought-we-voted-america-first-trump-gaza-plan-divides-his-party-2025-02-05/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/feb/06/middle-east-crisis-live-white-house-walks-back-trumps-gaza-takeover-comments-in-face-of-widespread-international-anger
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/world/middleeast/trump-saudi-israel-palestinians.html
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/06/trump-arab-americans-dearborn-michigan-00203018