Hamas strongly condemned President Donald Trump’s proposal for the United States to take control of the Gaza Strip and resettle Palestinians in other countries, whether they want to leave or not.
Trump made the shocking announcement during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. The proposal, which lacked details on how the U.S. would manage the displacement of over two million Palestinians or control Gaza, was met with surprise from those in attendance.
Trump suggested that the U.S. could make Gaza “unbelievable” by clearing unexploded bombs and rubble, and by economically redeveloping the war-torn region. He even mentioned turning Gaza into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
However, Hamas swiftly rejected the idea, calling it “racist” and aimed at “eliminating” the Palestinian cause. Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou emphasized that this proposal aligns with the Israeli extreme right’s stance on displacing Palestinians. For many Palestinians, such plans evoke painful memories of the “Nakba” or catastrophe—the mass displacement during the creation of Israel in 1948.
While Trump implied the U.S. might need to send troops to Gaza to oversee the transformation, Netanyahu expressed support for the plan, describing it as potentially “changing history.” However, the proposal has already been met with strong opposition from Palestinian leaders and Middle Eastern countries, including Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar, all of whom rejected the idea of forcibly resettling Gazans.
This controversy comes amid ongoing violence, which began with Hamas’s deadly October 2023 attack on Israel. Despite the ceasefire and attempts at negotiations, tensions remain high, and Trump’s proposal is set to face significant resistance.
AFP
