During a press conference with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel, President Donald Trump, stated that the United States would take over the Gaza Strip, displacing nearly two million Palestinians. The area would be developed and Trump claimed it would become “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
“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.” Trump said.
On Feb. 5, 2025, the White House attempted to soften Trump’s extreme claims. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated at a news briefing that Palestinians would be displaced temporarily rather than permanently, as Trump had the day before. She also claimed that no U.S. troops and no U.S. tax dollars would be used in the supposed take over.
Along with his extreme claims, Trump’s plan to forcibly move all Palestinians from Gaza into Egypt and Jordan would violate Geneva Connection IV, making it a war crime.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II, whose country would play a large part in absorbing displaced Palestinians, said he was not in favor of the plan. Trump stated that he could withhold humanitarian and military funding for Jordan but wasn’t to that point yet.
While he said that the US would build permanent residents for Palestinians in Jordan and Egypt, the US would not pay for it. Rather it would be the “incredible people in the Middle East.”
Trump’s announcement has raised tensions in the Middle East, leading to the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel to stand on shaky ground. The ceasefire, which took effect 19 Jan. 2025, faced many setbacks. The US had used its veto power 49 times against UN resolutions on Israel. Former president Joe Biden and Netanyahu spoke by phone about negotiations during Biden’s final week in office. Israel’s cabinet approved a deal 2 days later, allowing the ceasefire to go into effect.
The ceasefire has been threatened by conflicts between Israel and Hamas, as Hamas claimed that Israel violated the agreements and would postpone a hostage release in retaliation. Israel denied these claims. Hamas was also angered by Trump’s claims to take over Gaza and accelerate the hostage release timeline.
Mediators from Egypt and Qatar held talks with Hamas to resolve the disputes that threaten the agreement. Hamas claimed that the talks were positive and that it was still committed to the ceasefire.
“They [the hostages] are emaciated. They look like Holocaust survivors. So, I don’t want to do two, and then we do another two in another week, and then we do four in three weeks now. No, no, they either have them out by Saturday at 12:00 or all bets are off.” Trump said.
This is an interesting comparison after Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency and special government employee appointed by Trump, did the Nazi salute twice during the Presidential Inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025
Zoe VandeBerg, a fourth-year sociology major and a leader of the Turtle Island Student Organization (TISO), sees Trump’s announcement as a continuation of past actions taken by the US government.
“I know that his announcement is him saying he believes in ethnic cleansing. And everything that has happened in Gaza and the US’s involvement with it is very intrinsically linked with the land we’re on now and the genocide and ethnic cleansing that occurred here,” VandeBerg said. “I guess it’s genocide and it’s a history of genocide and it doesn’t matter what president it is because they’ve been doing it. It’s just a continuation of that.”
TISO has hosted events such as Garage Sale for Gaza, which raised over a thousand dollars that went directly to families in Palestine affected by the conflict. Last spring they also hosted a sit-in at the Gazebo and later the Science Laboratory Center. At this event they wanted to provide a space for people to show support for Palestine and to educate the community about what is going on.
Ty Bergner, a fourth-year social studies education major and member of TISO, also linked this conflict and Trump’s statement with past historical events.
“Rhetoric is extremely important, especially coming from the president and unfortunately, trump doesn’t care,” Bergner said. “A revealing part here is the word Riviera which just means a beautiful idyllic place. The implication here is that he’s saving the area from Palestinians which is just classic colonialist, racist propaganda. It’s very concerning.”
While the process to carry out Trump’s plan is extensive and likely unachievable, it has raised tensions in the Middle East and shown that he isn’t above making extreme claims such as this. Regardless of his actions, TISO wants to continue to be a safe place for students on campus.
“I think we just need to continue building strong relationships and coalition with the other clubs in the KEAP council so that we can support the most marginalized people in our community.” VandeBerg said.
