Taking a Bad Joke Seriously….Trump’s Plan for Gaza???
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Taking a Bad Joke Seriously
When Donald Trump proposed that the United States take over Gaza, expel its two million Palestinian residents and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East,” most observers treated it as so ridiculous that it would be quickly forgotten. There was speculation that he was merely trying to divert attention from his many other dangerous actions. However, Trump twice told reporters that he is quite serious. After meeting with the King of Jordan, he demanded that both Jordan and Egypt accept the residents of Gaza into their countries. Despite King Abdullah’s rejection of this idea, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has visited the Middle East to promote Trump’s plan which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised as “a bold vision for Gaza.” We cannot simply wait for it to disappear even though it is both a violation of international law and totally impractical. Here are some reasons why.
Forcibly Removing Palestinians from Gaza Would Be a War Crime
The forcible removal of a population is a war crime. The United States is a party to the Geneva Convention which prohibits such forced deportations. According to the Rome Statute which established the International Criminal Court, these actions are both a war crime and a crime against humanity. The United States has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which includes the “right of return,” that all people have the right to enter their own country. Furthermore, a bedrock principle of international law forbids any country from forcibly annexing territory.
Trump has argued that Gaza has become a “hell” that no one would want to return to. This is belied by the surge of Palestinians returning to their destroyed homes as soon as they were permitted to do so. Last year the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of “crimes against humanity, of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts,” for their role the death and destruction in Gaza. If Gaza is a “hell,” Israel, with the backing of and armaments supplied by the United States, bears significant responsibility. Instead of taking responsibility, Trump’s response was to issue sanctions against the ICC. Although the House of Representatives also approved a bill to sanction the ICC with no Republicans voting against it and forty-five Democrats in favor, so far that bill has been prevented from becoming law by a Senate Democratic filibuster. The fact that implementing Trump’s scheme would be a war crime should be reason enough to instantly reject it; however, his contempt for international law and support from so much of Congress means that this alone may not be enough to stop the proposal.
Trump’s Proposal Is Impractical
How exactly would Trump’s scheme work? For starters, as long as there is a war going on in Gaza, it is difficult to see how it could be rebuilt. Instead of the current short-term cease-fire, there would have to be a permanent one. This would have to include a decision on who would govern Gaza. Under Trump’s plan, it would be the United States but his conditions make this implausible. Unfortunately, Trump deliberately often contradicts himself in order to make it difficult to evaluate his plan. For example, on February 9 he said that “I’m committed to buying and owning Gaza,” although he didn’t say exactly whom he would buy it from, but two days later, at his news conference with the King of Jordan, he told a questioner, “We’re not going to buy anything.” Instead, he claimed that “the Gaza strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting.” Although Israel first occupied Gaza in 1967, the International Court of Justice ruled that its continued presence there is unlawful and should be ended as soon as possible. The UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly approved a resolution to this effect. According to the 1993 Oslo Accord, a Palestinian self-government should be established by subsequent negotiations but efforts at Camp David in 2000 and Taba in 2001 failed. In essence, if Trump wants to take over Gaza, he would have to get the permission of a Palestinian government, not of Israel.
How would the United States remove Gazans and where would they go? Politely asking Palestinians to leave their homeland is hardly likely to work and is not Trump’s style. Force would be required to remove them. When asked after unveiling his proposal whether American troops would be sent to Gaza, at first he said “If it’s necessary we will do that,” but his press secretary later stated he does “not mean boots on the ground in Gaza. That does not mean America taxpayers will be funding this effort.” So with no funding by the United States or apparently by anyone else, by magic, Palestinians will be removed from Gaza and it will be rebuilt as a resort. Nor do they have any place to go as Jordan and Egypt have strongly rejected Trump’s plan.
Finally, does anyone think that the United States can actually serve as a de facto government of Gaza? Our record in Iraq, Afghanistan and back to Vietnam hardly inspires confidence. Resistance among the population is likely to be strong. Other Middle Eastern countries are all opposed. Polls indicate little support among the American public either for the sending of troops or the spending of the hundreds of billions of dollars this would require.
The danger of Trump’s scheme is far more serious than a simple diversion. It can serve as justification to expel Palestinians from Gaza and replace them, not with a luxury resort but with Israeli settlers which may be why Netanyahu is so supportive. Its very purpose, whatever the implementation, is to delegitimize the idea of Palestinian self-determination and a Palestinian state. We should have learned by now to take even Trump’s most absurd ideas seriously and mobilize to stop him.
Bruce Altschuler, Co-Vice Chair, Brooklyn For Peace
February 20, 2025
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