TRUMP CALL FOR U.S. TO TAKEOVER GAZA, RESETTLE PALESTINIANS FACES GLOBAL PUSHBACK
Updated February 7, 2025 with statement from the Council on Islamic Relations in San Diego.
By Miriam Raftery
February 6, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – Many world leaders as well as Congressional leaders in both parties are pushing back on President Donald Trump’s call for the U.S. to “takeover” Gaza, relocate Palestinians to neighboring nations and turn Gaza into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Trump initially spoke of a permanent resettlement, with the U.S. taking ownership. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio later walked that back, indicating relocation of Palestinians would only be temporary during debris removal and new construction. “In the interim, obviously people are going to have to live somewhere while you’re rebuilding it,” he stated, AP reports.
Trump insisted,”Everyone loves my Gaza idea,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
But with the exception of some Israeli leaders, reactions around the world have overwhelmingly rejected the concept. Here are their statements: