Five hurdles to Donald Trump's Gaza-takeover plan

President Donald Trump takes questions during a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington.

US President Donald Trump put forward his proposal to "take over" and "own" Gaza on Tuesday but despite the US president's inflammatory rhetoric there are likely to be overwhelming roadblocks to his proposal. The idea aligns with other grandiose schemes Trump has proclaimed, such as annexing Greenland and making Canada a US state.

Here are five reasons Trump's Gaza proposal appears unworkable:

Palestinian roots

Trump ignores Palestinians' deep attachment to their land. After the Gaza ceasefire, half a million displaced people rushed back north.

"This is the happiest day of my life," one of them, Lamees al-Iwady, said on January 28.

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The Palestinian envoy to UN, Riyad Mansour, dismissed the idea outright.

"Our homeland is our homeland," he said. "For those who want to send them to a happy, nice place, let them go back to their original homes inside Israel, there are nice places there, and they will be happy to return to these places."

Arab opposition

Contrary to Trump's assertions, Arab states have firmly rejected the plan.

Public opinion in Arab states is also expected to be unanimously hostile to the proposal.

Trump's proposal involves sending US troops into Gaza. Any such deployment would be an immediate reversal of a key campaign promise not embroil Washington in foreign wars.

(AFP)


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