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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Muslim groups that pushed back against Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden administration over its support for Israel have responded to President Donald Trump's comments suggesting the U.S. will take "ownership" of Gaza and that displaced Palestinians will be permanently resettled outside the war-torn territory.
"Over the past 16 months, the Biden-Harris administration's full, unobstructed support for Israel's campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing has failed to remove the Palestinians of Gaza from their land," Hudhayfah Ahmad, a spokesperson for the Muslim-American led Abandon Harris campaign, said in a statement to Newsweek.
"It is not Trump—just as it was not Biden or Harris—who decides what the Palestinians can or cannot do; that decision belongs solely to the people of Palestine."
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The White House has been contacted for comment via email.
The Context
The Abandon Harris campaign was among the groups that urged voters not to support Harris, the Democratic nominee, in the 2024 election due to the Biden administration's support for Israel's devastating war in Gaza.
The Associated Press's VoteCast survey found that about two-thirds of Muslim voters supported Harris, while the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) said its nationwide exit poll found a majority of Muslim voters voted for Green Party candidate Jill Stein, while Trump and Harris each captured about 20 percent of their vote.
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What To Know
Speaking at a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his side, Trump suggested the U.S. would redevelop Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East" after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere.
"The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too," he said.
He provided no details about what authority the U.S. would use to take the land and develop it or displace some 1.8 million Palestinians who remain there.
But he said it would be turned into a place where the "world's people"—including Palestinians—would live.
"We'll make sure that it's done world-class," he said. "It'll be wonderful for the people—Palestinians, Palestinians mostly, we're talking about."
Trump's comments could threaten the next stage of talks to extend the tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after more than 15 months of war.
It began after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and its militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted another 250. Israel's response killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, displaced more than 90 percent of Gaza's population and reduced much of the territory to rubble.
Gaza's Health Ministry said that more than half the dead were women and children, though it did not say how many of the dead were combatants, The Associated Press reported. Israel has said it killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
What People Are Saying
Ahmad, the spokesperson for the Abandon Harris campaign and a Palestinian activist, also said: "Despite the entire world being against them, Palestinians have proven that they will be victorious. They are returning to their homes and living among the rubble—people like that cannot be defeated. That is not a matter of opinion; it is a fact."
Nihad Awad, the national executive director of Muslim civil rights and advocacy group CAIR, said in a statement: "Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people, not the United States, and President Trump's call to displace Palestinians from their land either temporarily or permanently is an absolute nonstarter. Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the entire Muslim world have made it clear that this delusional idea is unacceptable."
He added: "If President Trump wants to make history with some sort of grand peace deal, he must start by accepting that the way to make permanent peace is to end the Israeli occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people."
Georgia State Representative Ruwa Romman, a Palestinian-American and Democrat, wrote on Bluesky: "I'm furious at the Harris campaign for actively ignoring the impact Gaza had on turnout. I'm furious at content creators with bigger followings than the entire margin of victory in the country, who either called everyone navigating the elections a traitor or gleefully talked about Trump turning Gaza into a parking lot."
Roman, who was denied a speaking slot at the democratic National Convention but ultimately voted for Harris, added: "Everyone is responsible for the moment that we are in today … But I want to be abundantly clear, no fascist here or abroad will ever be able to erase Palestinians. The harder they try the deeper our roots will grow."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X: "Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas. As @POTUS shared today, the United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again. Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people."
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace wrote on X: "Let's turn Gaza into Mar-a-Lago."
Democrats and some Republicans have criticized the president's proposal.
Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, wrote on X: "I have news for you—we aren't taking over Gaza. But the media and the chattering class will focus on it for a few days and Trump will have succeeded in distracting everyone from the real story—the billionaires seizing government to steal from regular people."
Republican Senator Thom Tills said: "Obviously it's not going to happen. I don't know under what circumstance it would make sense even, even for Israel. Now, if Israel is asking for the United States to come in and provide some assistance to ensure that Hamas can never do again what they did, I'm in. But us taking over seems like a bit of a stretch."
What's Next
Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he will make a statement announcing his position on Israel possibly annexing parts of the West Bank in the coming weeks.
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