U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed American control of Gaza and the permanent resettlement of Palestinians elsewhere, drawing sharp criticism from rights groups and politicians who warn the plan could violate international law.
Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump declared the United States would “take over” and “own” Gaza, describing plans to transform the war-torn region into “the Riviera of the Middle East”.
Trump called for neighbouring Arab states to permanently resettle Gaza’s two million Palestinians, describing the territory as “a demolition site” where “virtually every building is down”.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio later endorsed the proposal on social media platform X, stating America would “Make Gaza Beautiful Again”.
The announcement drew immediate criticism from U.S. lawmakers. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen called it “ethnic cleansing by another name”, while Palestinian-American Representative Rashida Tlaib condemned the proposal.
Netanyahu praised Trump as “the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House”, describing the plan as “thinking outside the box with fresh ideas”.
Rights organisations widely condemned the proposal. Amnesty International USA warned that removing Palestinians from Gaza would amount to “destroying them as a people”, whilst the Council on American Islamic Relations stressed that “Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people”.
Saudi Arabia rejected any attempt to displace Palestinians and reiterated it would not normalise relations with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state. Hamas condemned Trump’s statements as calls for “expulsion from their land”.
The proposal contradicts former president Joe Biden’s stance against mass Palestinian displacement and would likely face significant opposition from Western allies.
Trump declined to rule out using U.S. military force to implement the plan, saying “we’ll do what is necessary”.
He did not explain how the United States could legally take control of Gaza or maintain long-term occupation of the territory.
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