Great, now Donald Trump wants to ‘take over’ Gaza. Why, and how would that even work?

First, it was Greenland. Then came his bizarre musings about the Panama Canal, and, for reasons no one can explain, Canada. Now, Donald Trump has set his sights on Gaza — one of the most politically volatile, war-ravaged, and contested strips of land in the entire world.

Somehow, in the mind of the former property shark, solving one of the most complex, generations-spanning conflicts in modern history involves kicking out its 1.8 million residents, and turning it into a Middle Eastern Malibu. On Feb. 4, 2024, Trump boldly announced that the “U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip.” Standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump described his grand vision: “We’ll own it… We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal… the Riviera of the Middle East.”

Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, also floated the idea last year. Kushner called Gaza’s coastline “very valuable” and suggested “cleaning it up.”  He sees it as a waterfront property. Essentially, the plan is to evict an entire population like they’re tenants who forgot to pay the rent. And where should they go? According to Trump, they should just… go somewhere else. Other countries, maybe? Camps? The moon? Who knows. Gaza is seen by Palestinians as an integral part of their future state, alongside the West Bank. Trump’s plan essentially tells them to just give up on that dream.

Trump didn’t bother providing any specifics about how this grand plan would actually, you know, work. Arab and Palestinian leaders rejected it outright, seeing it as yet another slap in the face to their dreams of statehood. Hamas, already in the middle of tense negotiations with Israel after a brutal 15-month war, obviously wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of their people being forcibly relocated. Even Israel, which has long struggled with its own Gaza policies, isn’t exactly jumping at the idea of Uncle Sam rolling in and turning the Strip into a beachfront resort.

Rebuilding Gaza is necessary

The place has been devastated by years of war, neglect, and blockades. There are literal mountains of rubble, unexploded bombs waiting to claim more lives, and no reliable water, electricity, or infrastructure. Schools are gone. Hospitals are gone. Homes are gone. That doesn’t mean it’s open season for anyone with a savior complex to swoop in and claim it as their next big “project.”

There are people here living in unimaginable conditions. It’s their home. Their land. Their lives. And the fact that anyone, let alone Trump, thinks they can just roll up, bulldoze the rubble and the people is as offensive as it is absurd. What’s even more insulting is the mindset behind it. To look at a place that’s been battered and broken by decades of violence and suffering and think, “You know what this needs? A rebrand.”

What Gaza needs is justice. Accountability. A chance for its people to rebuild their lives—not be shoved aside, erased, or treated like an unfortunate inconvenience in the way of some billionaire’s fantasy of a Mediterranean playground. Let’s remember that the the U.S. has zero legal claim to Gaza. None. Zilch. So how exactly does Trump plan to “take over?” Military intervention? A hostile takeover? A strongly worded tweet? Who knows. What we do know is that this plan is as unworkable as it is unethical.

The U.S. has been playing puppet master in the Middle East for generations. From overthrowing governments to propping up dictators, they’ve meddled in every corner of the region — not to help, but to exploit. Oil, arms deals, geopolitical power plays — it’s all just a game. Iraq? Turned into a wasteland. Syria? Torn apart by proxy wars. Afghanistan? Left in ruins after 20 years of occupation. The U.S. doesn’t bring “freedom” to the Middle East — it brings drones, sanctions, and instability, all while patting itself on the back for being the “good guy.”

Israel has been the U.S.’s partner-in-crime, carrying out its own atrocities while conveniently playing victim. How do you justify bulldozing Palestinian homes, stealing land, and blockading Gaza to the point of starvation? Easy — just call it “security.” The Middle East doesn’t need more meddling devils masquerading as saviors.