Trump’s takeover proposal condemned in Gaza, celebrated in Israel

Gaza may be buffeted by winter winds today, leaving Palestinians huddling. But it’s the unexpected blast from U.S. President Donald Trump that has them really shaken.

“I feel a lot of sadness and despair,” Hala Abu Dabaa, 26, told CBC’s freelance videographer Mohamed El Saife. “He should know that we will not leave our country — just delete this idea from his mind.”

Behind her there was rubble all the way to the horizon, the result of almost 16 months of war — Israeli airstrikes and house-to-house fighting with Hamas militants. 

This is the “demolition site” Trump said Tuesday he wants to build into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” once he empties it of the Palestinians. He described the beachfront strip like the real estate developer he used to be. He wants the U.S. to be in a “long-term ownership position” in Gaza.

The comments were greeted with pleasant surprise in Israel.

But for Palestinians like 22-year-old Hanan Al-Shennawi, it’s not just a piece of land. It is what remains after the Nakba, or “catastrophe” in Arabic, which forced her grandparents’ generation to leave the territory that became Israel in 1948.

“And in the end, they got nothing but regret,” Al-Shennawi said. She refuses to let it happen again.

Palestinians reject Trump’s idea

Moving away “erases the Palestinian cause,” said 30-year-old Taher Al-Najjar.

Israel rejects the charge that Palestinians were forcibly evicted, but the Palestinian perspective has fuelled a deep desire to move back, strong enough to drive militant groups like Hamas to launch the Oct. 7, 2023 attack into Israel that killed about 1,200 Israelis and saw some 250 taken hostage. Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza has killed over 47,000 Palestinians.

Hamas says Trump’s plan is a recipe for more violence.

Calling it “ridiculous and absurd,” Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters “any ideas of this kind are capable of igniting the region.” 

There was widespread condemnation from the larger region, as well, with flat rejections from Egypt and Jordan — the two countries Trump said should take Gaza’s population. Cairo said it would support reconstruction, but without removing anyone. 

Saudi Arabia said it would not normalize diplomatic and economic relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state, contradicting Trump’s claim that the country wasn’t making such a demand. In Riyadh, Foreign MInistry officials said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had affirmed this position in “a clear and explicit manner.”

The new relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia has been presented by Trump officials as a mega-deal that would bring peace to the region. 

Few misgivings in Israel

Still, in Israel there seem to be few misgivings about Trump’s plan.

“It’s too good to be true,” a smiling Ori Brook told CBC News on a rainy street in Jerusalem. “But it’s a nice dream.”

Some share Trump’s dream of developing the territory, injecting what Sean Sharliv calls “Western values — as in businesses, real estate, tourism.”   

But for most, it’s seen as a way to guarantee Israel’s security, preventing future attacks.

“I don’t want Gaza, I want peace,” said a man who gave his first name, Amit. He said Palestinians can live there, but Israel’s or America’s military force needs to keep order.

Most Israelis welcome Trump’s proposal

There are loud voices in Israel who do want Gaza for themselves. That includes far-right groups like the Jewish Power party, led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, who was part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition and former national security minister, until he resigned over Israel’s acceptance of a ceasefire deal with Hamas. 

Many of his supporters are settlers, and include those who want to establish Jewish communities in Gaza.

Today on social media, he posted a message to Trump, saying “Donald, this looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” Ben-Gvir said “the only solution” was to “encourage” the migration of Gazans.

But even some moderate voices in Israel seem to welcome Trump’s proposal.

Benny Gantz is a centrist politician and former general whom many see as a less extreme alternative to Netanyahu and his coalition. He said Trump’s plan showed “creative, original and intriguing thinking,” and should be studied.

In the meantime, he said getting Israel’s remaining hostages home from Gaza is the priority. With both sides further polarized over Trump’s proposal, a deal to extend the ceasefire may have become more complicated.