As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood beside him, Trump went on to promise that Gaza would become “the Riviera of the Middle East” and implied that Egypt and Jordan would eventually agree to take in displaced Palestinians. Netanyahu, visibly pleased, thanked Trump for his “willingness to think outside the box with fresh ideas.”
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On the evening of Feb. 4, U.S. President Donald Trump shocked the world—including many lawmakers in his [own party](https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5129173-trump-gaza-proposal-reaction/)—by %5Bannouncing%5D(https://nationalpost.com/news/world/israel-middle-east/donald-trump-benjamin-netanyahu-israel-gaza) that the United States will “take over” the Gaza Strip. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out,” he said.
As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood beside him, Trump went on to promise that Gaza would become “the Riviera of the Middle East” and implied that Egypt and Jordan would eventually agree to take in displaced Palestinians. Netanyahu, visibly pleased, thanked Trump for his “willingness to think outside the box with fresh ideas.”
Elsewhere in the world, the reception was frostier. Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry posted a [press release](https://x.com/KSAmofaEN/status/1886953044484473007/photo/1) on X in the early hours of the morning in Riyadh, reiterating that its position on the need for an independent Palestinian state was “firm and unwavering” and noting that it “will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that.” Other [regional governments](https://x.com/MfaEgypt/status/1887528424454943188) quickly [followed suit](https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/violation-of-international-law-arab-countries-decry-trump-s-proposal-to-take-over-gaza-strip/3473226) and rights groups [denounced](https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/02/05/trump-indicates-intent-escalate-ethnic-cleansing-gaza) the plan as ethnic cleansing.
In the wake of Trump’s announcement, which some U.S. officials have since tried to [walk back](https://www.euronews.com/2025/02/06/top-us-officials-walk-back-parts-of-trumps-plan-to-take-over-gaza), *Foreign Policy* reached out to 10 writers to comment on what his plan would mean for Palestinians, the region, and U.S. national security.