Trump says US will own’ Gaza in resettlement plan

UK insists Palestinians must determine the future of Gaza’

- CHRIS STEVENSON and TOM WATLING

Donald Trump has doubled down on his proposal for the US to take over the Gaza Strip – despite a global backlash – claiming that Israel will hand it over to Washington once the current 15 - month war in the territory is over, and without the need for American troops to be involved.

Arab nations across the Middle East, Palestinians inside Gaza and nations across Europe moved swiftly to condemn Mr Trump’s suggestion earlier this week that the US could “take over” the Strip with “a long-term ownership position”.

It is estimated that about 1.8 million of the near-2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza would have to be relocated to neighbouring nations to achieve Mr Trump’s vision of turning what he called a “hellhole” into “the Riviera of the Middle East”.

Several countries have made clear that the forced relocation of Palestinians would violate international law, but in a post on his Truth Social platform early yesterday, the US president said: “The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting.” He added that Palestinians would be “resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region”.

He said that the US would work “with great development teams from all over the world” and “slowly and carefully begin the construction of what would become one of the greatest and most spectacular developments of its kind on Earth”.