Mixed Feelings: Jewish and Muslim Groups React to Trump’s Gaza Takeover Idea

ie

Trump’s Gaza Takeover Plan: Mixed Reactions across the Board

At a White House joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump suggested that the Palestinians in Gaza should be resettled outside of the territory, with the United States taking over and turning the Gaza Strip into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” As expected, Trump’s proposal has been strongly criticized by Muslim organizations in the United States and elsewhere, while reaction among American Jewish organizations was mixed.  

• The Israel Policy Forum stated that “President Trump’s plan to involuntarily transfer Palestinians out of Gaza and for the U.S. to assume direct control of the territory is infeasible and would undermine U.S. interests and regional stability.” They added that the proposal for America to take over Gaza “belittles the rights of Palestinians who do not want to be transferred, endangers Israel’s remaining hostages by potentially upending the hostage and ceasefire deal, and provides fuel to Hamas’ contention that they are the only actor willing to stand up to alleged plots to destroy Palestinian nationalism.”
• The American Jewish Committee said that Trump’s plan for an American takeover of Gaza raises a “wealth of questions,” the first being the announcement’s impact on the cease-fire and hostage-release agreement. “The release of all remaining hostages, and the agreement’s ultimate fulfillment of the objective to rid Gaza of Hamas’ rule must remain U.S. and Israeli priorities,” the AJC statement read.
• The Anti-Defamation League said that while U.S. involvement is important for “long-term rebuilding and governance of Gaza,” it believes that all plans should account for “Israel’s security needs” and the “well-being of Palestinian citizens in Gaza.”

[Watch Fania Oz-Salzberger’s reaction to Trump’s Gaza takeover announcement here.]

• Amy Spitaltnik, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs wrote on social media that Trump’s proposal was “Unfathomably horrific and cruel for Palestinians. So incredibly foolish re: US interests. And fundamentally at odds with Israel’s own future—because there is no Jewish, democratic Israel without Palestinian self-determination.”
• Liberal Zionist group J Street declared, “J Street cannot express strongly enough opposition to the ideas being put forward by President Trump regarding Gaza. There aren’t adequate words to express our disgust at the idea of forcible displacement of Palestinians with the assistance of the United States of America.”
• Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, stated that, “The notion that the United States is going to ‘take over’ Gaza, including with the deployment of U.S. troops, isn’t just extreme — it’s completely detached from reality. In what world is this happening? Not the one we inhabit. Netanyahu praised his ‘out of the box’ thinking, but let’s be honest—it’s insane.”
• Mort Klein, head of the Zionist Organization of America, saw in Trump’s proposal an “extraordinary declaration that could assure the end of the Islamic-Arab terrorist group Hamas, and secure southern Israel after decades of terrorist attacks and missile launches from Hamas in Gaza. It will also be a major step towards a real peace in the region,” adding that “Trump’s move could enable Israel and the US to develop this oceanfront oasis as a paradise in the Middle East while giving Israel the land it needs to thrive as a technological, scientific, cultural and religious giant.”
• AIPAC’s response to Trump’s remarks didn’t mention Gaza. Instead, their post on X said: “We applaud @POTUS@realDonaldTrump for directing a government-wide maximum pressure campaign on Iran. As the Iranian regime accelerates its nuclear weapons program, the time for action is now. Anyone buying, shipping, financing or otherwise dealing in Iranian petroleum must be sanctioned. We urge the administration to implement and enforce the SHIP Act, a bipartisan bill that targets Chinese ports and refineries processing Iranian oil.”

The reaction from Muslim groups was more consistent.

• Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine director for Human Rights Watch, told Reuters: “Displacing Palestinians would be a ‘moral abomination.’ International humanitarian law forbids the forced displacement of the population of an occupied territory. When such forced displacement is widespread, it can amount to a war crime or a crime against humanity.”
• Dr. Sara Husseini, director of the British Palestinian Committee, stated that Trump’s plans are “an extension of the relentless dispossession and dehumanization of Palestinians we have experienced for decades,” and that “Israel has been emboldened to breach international humanitarian law, thanks to the impunity it has been granted by the U.S., UK and other allies, along with the provision of military support from successive U.S. and UK governments.”
• The Arab League said in a statement that Trump’s proposal “represents a recipe for instability” and does not advance Palestinian statehood. The 22-member group also stated that they rejected the displacement of the Palestinians and that Gaza was an integral part of any future Palestinian state.
• The Council on American-Islamic Relations stated that “Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people, not the United States, and President Trump’s call to expel Palestinians from their land is an absolute non-starter. If the Palestinian people were ever somehow forcibly expelled from Gaza, this crime against humanity would spark widespread conflict, put the final nail in the coffin of international law, and destroy what remains of our nation’s international image and standing.”
• The Organization of Islamic Cooperation felt that Trump’s plan “contributes to the consolidation of the occupation, colonial settlement, and the seizure of Palestinian land by force, which constitutes a flagrant violation of the principles of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.”