President Trump, earlier this week, made the shocking proposal that the United States take control of the Gaza Strip while displacing the territory’s Palestinian population. That population, Trump added, would be moved to Egypt and Jordan, even though doing so would likely meet the definition of ethnic cleansing, and neither of those countries — both allies of the United States that have peace treaties with Israel — have stated that they’re not interested in taking that population in.
Trump, in his original statement on February 4, vowed to turn the war-torn territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
The idea would appear a non-starter, especially since doing so would likely require U.S. troops, and another American military incursion into the Middle East is not only something for which Americans have little appetite but seems to go against Trump’s long-held opposition to entering new open-ended wars.
On Tuesday, after meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah, he doubled down on the plan, even laying out his idea while the king sat beside him.
While meeting with the King of Jordan and a visibly uncomfortable Rubio today, Trump now changes his position from yesterday and says the US is not going to buy Gaza, we are just going to take it: “We’re gonna take it, we’re gonna hold it, we’re gonna cherish it.” pic.twitter.com/5MgH7YHMoW
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) February 11, 2025
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“It’s not a complex thing to do. And with the United States being in control of that piece of land, a fairly large piece of land, you’re going to have stability in the Middle East for the first time,” Trump said Tuesday, per CNN.
Trump also used the word “take, as opposed to “buy.”
“There is nothing to buy,” Trump added in response to a question from a reporter.
“We’re going to have it, we’re going to keep it, and we’re going to make sure that there’s going to be peace and there’s not going to be any problem, and nobody’s going to question it, and we’re going to run it very properly,” Trump said. “We’re going to take it. We’re going to hold it. We’re going to cherish it.”
Netanyahu: Ceasefire will end if Hamas doesn’t release hostages on Saturday
Israeli Prime Minister says IDF will resume ‘intense fighting until Hamas is completely defeated’ if hostages are not released by noon deadlinehttps://t.co/OOxe2BaZTM
— Lexxi (@Lexximagic) February 11, 2025
The king issued a statement afterward reiterating that the kingdom opposes the idea of the United States taking over the Gaza territory.
Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, announced that the ceasefire will end this weekend unless the hostages are not realized as scheduled on Saturday.
Photo via screengrab
