President Trump recently softened his earlier demand to relocate two million Palestinians from Gaza to nearby countries, aiming to develop the territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” Initially, he believed he could persuade Egypt and Jordan to accept displaced Palestinians despite their rejections. However, in a Fox News interview, he acknowledged the unworkability of his plan, expressing surprise at their refusal and indicating he would not force the issue. Trump suggested that U.S. control of Gaza could offer a fresh start without Hamas, although he seemed to concede the proposal was unlikely to materialize. Discussions among Arab leaders about alternatives followed.
On Friday, President Trump seemed to retract his earlier stance that two million Palestinians should be permanently moved from the Gaza Strip to nearby Middle Eastern countries, allowing the United States to take control of the area and transform it into what he described as “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Earlier this month, he expressed support for assuming control of Gaza while displacing its Palestinian inhabitants. For several days, he dismissed numerous objections to his plan, including outright refusals from the leaders of Egypt and Jordan.
During that period, Mr. Trump claimed he could convince the leaders of these nations—and possibly others in the region—to accept the displaced Palestinians through sheer force of will.
“They say they’re not going to accept,” he asserted. “I say they will.”
However, in a phone interview with Fox News on Friday, Mr. Trump appeared to acknowledge that his persuasion attempts had fallen short, and acknowledged that Egypt and Jordan’s refusal to accept displaced Gazans would render his plan impractical.
“We give billions of dollars a year to Jordan and Egypt. I was a bit surprised by their response, but that’s what they said,” Mr. Trump remarked to Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, later adding: “I believe my approach is the best way forward. However, I’m not going to impose it. I’ll simply recommend it.”
These remarks represented a significant shift for one of the most audacious foreign policy proposals ever made by a sitting president. They followed weeks of discussions that saw several senior Trump administration officials trying to mitigate the proposal, despite the president maintaining his seriousness.
Earlier in February, Mr. Trump publicly proposed that “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip.” During a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he stated that the United States would “own it and be responsible” for clearing unexploded munitions and rebuilding Gaza into a hub for employment and tourism, promising it would evolve into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Soon after, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested that any relocation would be short-term. Nevertheless, Mr. Trump later posted on social media reiterating that Palestinians would be moved to communities where they could feel “happy, safe, and free.”
In the Friday interview, the president indicated that attempting to redevelop Gaza without relocating Palestinians was impractical, particularly due to the presence of Hamas, which has governed Gaza for decades. He asserted that a U.S. takeover and the relocation of Gaza’s Palestinian population would be the optimal strategy.
“The U.S. would own the site,” Mr. Trump remarked. “There wouldn’t be any Hamas, and it’d be redeveloped, allowing for a fresh start.”
However, he referred to the plan in the past tense, implying he had relinquished it.
“I liked my plan. I thought my plan was good,” Mr. Trump told Mr. Kilmeade. “You evacuate them, relocate them, and construct a beautiful and lasting community.”
Arab leaders convened in Riyadh on Friday to deliberate potential alternatives to Mr. Trump’s proposals with an upcoming Arab League summit in Egypt set for March 4. The meeting concluded without an official statement regarding what was discussed or any decisions made.
In Washington, a spokesperson for the National Security Council did not reply to inquiries about whether the president’s comments indicated a withdrawal from the idea of U.S. reconstruction in Gaza.
During the interview, Mr. Trump seemed to accept that Gaza would need to be rebuilt without U.S. ownership and without relocating its population, although he appeared to regard Israel’s prolonged tenure over the territory as a form of ownership.
“We’ll see what unfolds,” he stated. “I thought it was an excellent opportunity because of its great location. I’m not sure why Israel ever relinquished it. Why did they give it up?”
Ismaeel Naar contributed reporting from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.