‘In a state of shock': Palestinians respond to Trump's proposal to take over Gaza
But if anyone can throw things off kilter, it's US President Donald Trump, who on Tuesday said the US would expel Palestinians from Gaza, likely move in American troops, and then develop 'the Riviera of the Middle East' for tourists.
The stunning announcement was made alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was given the privilege of being the first foreign leader to visit the White House in Trump's second term.
But the backlash to Trump's 'long-term ownership' of Gaza was swift.
Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian in the chamber, said, 'Palestinians aren't going anywhere'.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
'This president can only spew this fanatical bullshit because of bipartisan support in Congress for funding genocide and ethnic cleansing,' Tlaib wrote on X. 'It's time for my two-state solution colleagues to speak up.'
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy called Trump's comments a mere distraction.
'The US isn't invading and occupying Gaza. Trump wants us to talk about this crazy idea all day to relieve the pressure on him that is building as the public figures out that a theft is occurring - the billionaires illegally taking over government to steal from us,' he wrote on X, referencing the domestic chaos unfolding as billionaire Elon Musk shuts down US agencies.
And Republican Senator Rand Paul, who has long identified as a Libertarian, said, 'The pursuit for peace should be that of the Israelis and the Palestinians.'
'I thought we voted for America First,' he wrote on X. 'We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers' blood.'
'A new Nakba'
Palestinians who have already left Gaza marvelled at what they saw as the callousness of Trump's remarks.
'I'm in a state of shock. I almost don't believe they can be rude as such,' Palestinian human rights lawyer Raji Sourani told Middle East Eye.
Sourani, 70, born and bred in Gaza, left through Egypt and then went to Europe one year ago after Israel destroyed his home. He remains the director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in Gaza and is a party to South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
'A first-class war criminal [like] Netanyahu standing in the White House, invited… and dealt with respectfully as though there is no [International Criminal Court] warrant against him, and praised as a hero and supported politically, financially, legally, and they decide publicly in a press conference in front of the whole world… to complete the genocide mission? To make a new Nakba?' Sourani asked.
'I mean, I just don't believe it.'
Instead of expelling Palestinians, Sourani suggested the Israelis be offered one-way tickets instead.
'Why the Israelis not be paid? I mean, in the US, there is a huge, vast land. They can settle them anywhere they like. We didn't do the Holocaust.'
Palestinians, he said, 'are the stones of the valley… no power on earth can kick us out'.
And while many living inside Gaza today have expressed similar sentiments, others say the notion that all Palestinians will simply tolerate what comes their way is 'dehumanising'.
'You know, there is a lot of mythologisation of the Palestinians, that we are superhumans who, despite any pain, wouldn't leave. That's not true, and that's dehumanising to an extent,' Khalil Sayegh, a Palestinian political analyst based in Washington, told MEE.
Sayegh is the founder of the Palestinian-Israeli shared vision platform, The Agora Initiative.
His father died of a heart attack in Gaza in 2023 while sheltering at the Church of the Holy Family, which came under attack by Israeli snipers.
Trump advisors push for Gulf states to cooperate on Gaza but find no takers Read More »
'When we are pushed and we have to choose between staying or our kids will die, I think many of us would choose rightfully to leave,' he said. 'Others who stay, despite them dying with their kids, we also have to respect them and see them as humans.'
If the Rafah border to Egypt reopens, Sayegh said, he estimates that up to half a million Palestinians would leave Gaza now if they were provided the means.
It would be, he confessed, 'a disaster' for the Strip.
'However, in terms of ethnic cleansing and the demographic war that we have with Israel, that wouldn't be a threat because, ultimately, the birth rate in Gaza is so high that in three or four years, we'll be able to have the demographic balance back again,' Sayegh told MEE.
So where does that leave Trump's extreme opening bid to negotiate Gaza's future?
'Two things have to happen. In my opinion, Hamas has to clearly say that they're willing to not be in the picture. This hasn't happened at all… [And] the Arabs have to push Trump,' he said.
'We've seen the Arabs already doing that. We've seen the Egyptians already doing that [but] they have to come to the table, from my point of view, to Trump with a plan that is actionable.'
Saudi Arabia was the first among the Arab nations to denounce Trump's plans and insist on a Palestinian state before it considers what would be the ultimate prize: diplomatic relations with Israel.
Jordan and Egypt have also firmly rejected plans to take in Palestinians from Gaza.
'I think the Arabs so far are taking a good stance,' Sayegh told MEE. 'If they continue to do so, I think we can overcome this, inshallah.'
Ultimately, whatever Palestinians may be forced to do, they will not be 'good victims,' Sourani said.
'Whatever the conditions are or will be, people have no intention to leave. We have no other home, Palestine is our homeland.'
Aftermath
By Wednesday morning, Arab Americans For Trump, which led the charge to get him elected among those angered by Joe Biden's perpetuation of the war on Gaza, sent out a press release changing its name to Arab Americans For Peace.
'We are adamantly opposed to the notion of transferring Palestinians outside of historic Palestine for ANY reason,' the statement read. 'We appreciate the president's offer to clean and rebuild Gaza. However, the purpose should be to make Gaza habitable for Palestinians and no one else.'
Within hours, the administration began the cleanup effort, with officials significantly walking back Trump's proposal.
In an interview with CBS, Trump's national security advisor, Michael Waltz, all but admitted the president was effectively starting a negotiation process by adopting an extreme position.
'The fact that nobody has a realistic solution, and [Trump] puts some very bold fresh new ideas out on the table, I don't think should be criticised in any way,' Waltz said. 'I think it's going to bring the entire region to come with their own solutions.'
This was further communicated at the White House briefing, where press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, 'Donald Trump, who is the best dealmaker on the planet, is going to strike a deal with our partners in the region.'
Asked about US 'boots on the ground' in Gaza, Leavitt said Trump has not 'committed' to that idea 'yet'.
And his real estate development of the enclave? 'This is an out-of-the-box idea,' Leavitt responded, and 'American taxpayers' will not be footing the bill, she said.
While on a trip to Guatemala, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reframed Trump's entire proposal, saying that Palestinians would only relocate temporarily and that Trump's offer is an act of generosity.
'Obviously people are going to have to live somewhere while you're rebuilding it. It is akin to a natural disaster,' Rubio said. 'So what he's very generously offered is the ability of the United States to go in and help with debris removal, help with munitions removal, help with reconstruction, the rebuilding of homes and businesses and things of this nature, so that then people can move back in.'
Still, there was no way to take back what Trump very publicly put on the table.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
8 minutes ago
- Zawya
Trump unlikely to enforce tariff threat on Russian oil
U.S. President Donald Trump is unlikely to follow through on his threat to place 100% tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil because it would worsen politically-damaging inflation pressures and his similar threat against buyers of Venezuelan oil has had limited success, especially in China. Trump said this month he would put 100% secondary tariffs on countries that buy Russian exports unless Moscow agrees to a major peace deal with Ukraine in 50 days, a deadline that would expire in early September. The threat mirrored an announcement in March that the U.S. would slap tariffs on buyers of sanctioned Venezuelan oil. No such tariffs have been imposed since, even though Venezuela's exports of oil have jumped. "We find that secondary tariffs may be too blunt of an instrument for the administration to use," on Russia, said Fernando Ferreira, the director of geopolitical risk service at consultancy Rapidan Energy Group. "If you're willing to go with the nuclear option by removing 4.5 plus million barrels a day from the market, and you're willing to cut off commercial ties with other countries because they're importing Russian oil, you're going to risk massive oil price spikes and a meltdown of the global economy." Clay Seigle, senior fellow and James Schlesinger chair in energy and geopolitics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that if the 100% tariff is fully enforced on countries that receive Russian barrels, it has the potential to cut global supplies and drive prices higher. Analysts and traders are deeply skeptical that Trump will allow that to happen for two reasons, Seigle said. "First, he is very sensitive to high oil prices and will want to avoid that outcome." Second, Trump prefers consummating bilateral deals more than adhering to any strict formulas that would tie his hands in negotiations. "Some U.S. trade partner nations may, just like oil traders, dismiss this as grandstanding," Seigle said. On July 16, two days after issuing the tariff threat, Trump said the oil price of $64 a barrel was a great level, that his administration was trying to get it down a little bit more, and the low level was "one of the reasons that inflation's in check." Since then oil prices have stayed in the mid-$60s range, shrugging off the threat of imminent supply disruptions. Seigle said Trump's existing trade war, particularly his tariffs on steel, could push commodity prices higher for oil drillers in the United States, the world's top crude producer. That could raise prices for oil just as the midterm U.S. Congress elections get underway next year. Trump's Republicans hold razor-thin majorities in both the U.S. House and Senate and the president will likely avoid actions that spike oil prices during the campaigns, the analysts said. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said Trump has proven he follows through on his promises. "He has been extremely tough on (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and smartly left all options on the table while leaving existing sanctions in place – and recently threatened Putin with biting tariffs and sanctions if he does not agree to a ceasefire." The Treasury Department, which administers sanctions, said it was ready to act. "As President Trump announced, Russia has 50 days to agree to a deal to end the war, or the U.S. is prepared to implement biting secondary sanctions," a spokesperson said. HESITANCY TO TARGET RUSSIA The Trump administration's lax enforcement of the 25% tariff threat in March on buyers of Venezuelan oil and the failure so far to impose effective energy sanctions on Russia are two other reasons why market participants are skeptical. China, Venezuela's top oil customer, has been adapting to U.S. sanctions on the oil exports since they were imposed in 2019. Over the last year, China has been buying more than $1 billion of Venezuelan oil rebranded as Brazilian, according to tanker tracking companies. Venezuela's exports surged in June as the loss of U.S. and European buyers was offset by cargoes sent to China. Indian oil refiners, major buyers of Russian crude, do not believe that Trump will follow through on the threat, and there are no plans to stop purchases of Russian oil, three sources at Indian refiners said. India's imports of Russian oil rose about 1% in the first half of this year, with refiners Reliance Industries and Nayara Energy making almost half of the overall purchases from Moscow, according to data provided by sources. Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, however, said the world's third-largest oil importer and consumer was confident of meeting its needs using alternative sources if Russian supplies are hit. Trump's Treasury Department has designated about 19 Russian nationals since January 20 under counter-terrorism, cyber, and North Korea sanctions programs, actions mostly not related to the war in Ukraine, said Jeremy Paner, a partner at law firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed and former Treasury Department sanctions investigator. By comparison, the U.S. has designated about 75 Iranian nationals and entities and imposed 109 such measures on China since Trump began his second term, he said. "Based on the administration's apparent hesitancy to target Russia through trade sanctions, I do not see the Russian oil tariff threat as particularly effective," Paner said. Action is also not likely to come from Congress even though the U.S. Senate has strong bipartisan support for a bill that would impose 500% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil. The Senate's Republican leaders are waiting for Trump's go-ahead and have given no indication that they intend to take up the bill before they leave Washington for the August recess. Even if the bill passes, it will likely allow the president to waive tariffs, letting lawmakers claim they are tough on Russia but rendering the legislation mostly symbolic. "It all makes sense from a political messaging perspective, but from the perspective of what's needed for the legal authority on sanctions, it's a bit of a head scratcher," Paner said. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner; additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle in Washington, Nidhi Verma in New Delhi and Siyi Liu in Singapore Editing by Marguerita Choy)
Khaleej Times
8 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Gulf countries welcome France's recognition of Palestinian state
Saudi Arabia and fellow Gulf Arab states on Friday welcomed President Emmanuel Macron's announcement that France would recognise the state of Palestine, and urged other countries to follow suit. Other European Union members have recognised Palestine since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023 but France is the first member of the G7 group of major advanced economies to do so. The Saudi foreign ministry said "the kingdom commends this historic decision, which reaffirms the international community's consensus on the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and to establish their independent state". It called on other countries "that have not yet recognised the State of Palestine to take similar positive steps". Macron said on Thursday that France would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a United Nations meeting in September. A ministerial-level meeting co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia to discuss a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is planned for later this month. Qatar, a key mediator in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas on ending the Gaza war, also welcomed the French move. Its foreign ministry said the move "constitutes significant support for the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people" and "contributes to advancing prospects for achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the region". The Kuwaiti foreign ministry said it "commended this significant step". The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) also praised the move.
Middle East Eye
37 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Israel claims killing Hamas commander in northern Gaza
Israeli military has said that it killed Amjad Muhammad Hassan Shaer, whom it identified as the head of the counterintelligence directorate in the general security apparatus of Hamas, in an air strike in northern Gaza on Wednesday. The statement by the Israeli forces claimed that the directorate is responsible for 'suppressing opposition to Hamas' rule, thwarting espionage against the terrorist organisation, and securing senior officials and assets of the terrorist organisation within the Gaza Strip and outside of it'. It added that Israeli warplanes have bombed areas across Gaza 'dozens of times' over the past 24 hours, in addition to ground attacks across the enclave. Earlier in the day, the death toll from Israeli attacks stood at 11.
