US President Donald Trump stated on his social platform Truth Social on Thursday that Israel will transfer the Gaza Strip to the United States after hostilities end and the enclave's population is relocated to other places, clarifying his initial version and noting that American troops on the ground will not be needed. According to Trump's new plan, Palestinians «would already be relocated to much safer and more beautiful settlements, with new and modern homes, in this region».
Donald Trump emphasized that the US, in cooperation with «the best development teams from around the world», plans to gradually transform the territory into «one of the greatest and most impressive development projects on Earth».
Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that he had ordered the army to prepare a plan that would allow residents wishing to leave to voluntarily exit Gaza. «I welcome President Trump's bold plan, Gaza residents should be given the freedom to leave the country and emigrate, as is customary worldwide», Katz said on the X channel.
Katz noted that his plan would include options for exit through land checkpoints, as well as special measures for departure by sea and air. It remains unclear where Israeli authorities hope Gaza residents will go and how many people they expect will leave. Katz also did not specify whether resettlers would be allowed to return home after the war ends. However, in an earlier interview with Fox News, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Palestinians could «relocate and return» if necessary.
As The New York Times writes, many Palestinians have vowed to stay in the devastated Gaza despite hunger, cold, and fear of renewed fighting between Israel and Hamas. The mass displacement of their parents, grandparents during the wars associated with the creation of Israel in 1948 remains one of their strongest collective traumas. Moreover, neighboring countries, such as Egypt and Jordan, also show little interest in accepting them, viewing them as an economic burden and a source of potential internal upheaval.
Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia rejected Trump's idea, and Jordan's King Abdullah, who will meet with Trump at the White House next week, stated on Wednesday that he rejects any attempts to annex lands and displace Palestinians.
Israel Katz also urged countries opposing Israel's military operations in Gaza to accept Palestinians who wish to relocate, otherwise «their hypocrisy will be exposed». «Countries like Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others, which make accusations and false claims against Israel regarding its actions in Gaza, are legally obliged to allow any Gaza resident to enter their territory», he said.
Jose Manuel Albares, Spain's foreign minister, already on Thursday morning rejected this idea, stating that «the land of Gaza residents is Gaza, and Gaza should be part of the future Palestinian state».
Photo: Reuters