Trump had previously proposed a permanent resettlement of the Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Middle Eastern countries, but during Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to Washington, Trump declared “The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too” adding that “I don’t want to be cute, I don’t want to be a wise guy – but the Riviera of the Middle East … This could be something that could be so valuable, this could be so magnificent.”
Later, Marc Rubio, the secretary of state, wrote in a post on Twitter: “The United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again. Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people.”
‘Make Gaza Beautiful Again’ seems to be the administration’s informal slogan for this planned war crime and crime against humanity.
‘Make Gaza Beautiful Again’ seems to be the administration’s informal slogan for this planned war crime and crime against humanity. It invites disgust following Biden’s endless funding for Israel to commit genocide, and now Trump’s blatant ignorance of Palestinians’ right to self-determination. His logic is ruthless but consistent: if Gaza is a problem, remove its people; if the land is desired, take it. But this is by no means an idly thought-of plan. It reflects a calculated strategy, encouraged by lobbying groups like AIPAC, who hunger for imperial expansion. Whether it be the displacement of indigenous Americans, Stalin’s forced deportations, or the Nakba of 1948 and the mass exodus of Palestinians since, the machinery of state power understands its efficiency in erasure.
What makes Trump’s proposition—which Netanyahu said was worth considering—interesting is not its cruelty but its brutal transparency. There are no euphemisms like mentions of security operations, instead, he declared openly what others execute discreetly. The global backlash to the implementation of such expulsion would involve charges in international courts but cold truth questions remain: Would the United Nations impose sanctions? Perhaps. Would neighbouring states like Egypt and Jordan retaliate? Most likely not—they are paralysed by their own self-interests and geopolitical dependencies.
Apartheid is symbiotic with the logic of colonialism: take what you want, erase those that come in the way, and reframe the narrative as progress.
If neighbouring countries should take the Palestinians, surely a more fitting solution would be to let the Palestinians return to their ancestral homes in what is now Israel? Most families from Palestine were forcibly displaced from their homes during the 1948 Nakba. Israel does not permit a significant majority of Gaza’s residents to even move to the West Bank or East Jerusalem. And if Gaza is ethnically cleansed first, then it is certain the West Bank is the next wound on the map. Apartheid is symbiotic with the logic of colonialism: take what you want, erase those that come in the way, and reframe the narrative as progress.
What is clear, though, is that the strength of the Palestinians persists, even in the aftermath of the genocide. They have proven over and over again that they will not be defeated.