In yet another dazzling display of foreign policy expertise, Donald Trump has suggested that the United States should take control of Gaza, relocate its population elsewhere, and rebuild the war-ravaged territory into a luxury seaside destination—because, naturally, nothing solves a deep-rooted geopolitical crisis quite like a real estate makeover.
“The United States will take control of Gaza,” Trump announced confidently during a White House press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He further elaborated on his vision, promising that America would oversee the clearance of unexploded ordnance and take “ownership” of the strip. The cherry on top? A proposal to turn Gaza into a “Riviera”, presumably lined with Trump-branded hotels, golf courses, and casinos.
For a man who has railed against “endless wars”, Trump’s sudden enthusiasm for an open-ended US occupation of Gaza is, at the very least, puzzling. Even more remarkably, he hinted at deploying American troops to secure the area—a dramatic shift from his previous pledges to withdraw from global conflicts.
Predictably, the reaction across the Middle East was swift and scathing. Saudi Arabia wasted no time in condemning the idea, reaffirming its commitment to a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Meanwhile, US Senator Chris Van Hollen dismissed Trump’s comments as nothing short of “ethnic cleansing under a different name.”
As Trump passionately detailed his vision—razing Gaza to the ground and employing thousands to rebuild it—Netanyahu stood nearby, his facial expressions oscillating between polite bewilderment and hesitant approval.
Yet, perhaps unwilling to antagonise his unpredictable ally, Netanyahu opted for diplomacy. “He’s thinking at a much higher level,” the Israeli leader remarked, subtly avoiding any outright endorsement. “It’s worth exploring,” he added, with all the enthusiasm of someone who had just been pitched a timeshare.
Trump’s grandiose redevelopment plan for Gaza conveniently ignores decades of failed US interventions in the Middle East, from Iraq to Afghanistan and beyond. It also demonstrates a stunning disregard for the historical and political complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
And yet, history offers some perspective. America’s military presence in the Middle East has rarely ended well. From the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings that killed over 300 people to the disastrous Iraq invasion, the US has learned—time and again—that Middle Eastern interventions tend to backfire spectacularly. But why let reality get in the way of a good sales pitch?
Of course, this isn’t Trump’s first flirtation with territorial expansionism. Let’s not forget his previous desire to buy Greenland, his musings about taking back the Panama Canal, and his casual suggestion that Canada should become the 51st US state. Now, Gaza has been added to his ever-growing wishlist.
It grabs attention and sparks debate but ultimately leads nowhere.
Undeterred by critics, Trump has vowed to visit Israel, Saudi Arabia, and his future beachfront empire in Gaza to promote the plan. He insists that “humanitarian-minded nations” are lining up to support his vision, which would involve permanently relocating 1.8 million Palestinians to unspecified “beautiful” locations.
“They’ll have a wonderful life,” Trump assured reporters. “They won’t even want to go back.”
And, just in case the world wasn’t taking him seriously, he lamented the fact that he still hasn’t been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.