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By Carine Harb
Associate Editor, My Turn
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President Donald Trump has suggested a plan for the U.S. to take control of Gaza and relocate its Palestinian residents to nearby countries like Egypt and Jordan.
His idea involves turning Gaza into a modern, wealthy area, possibly called the "Riviera of the Middle East." Trump claims this plan would eliminate militant threats, bring stability to the region, and strengthen Israel's security.
Egypt and Jordan have strongly opposed taking in Palestinian refugees, citing concerns that it could destabilize the region. While the proposal has been made public and is being discussed, it faces major challenges, including strong international resistance.
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In light of this, Newsweek is reaching out to experts to assess whether Trump's plan for Gaza is feasible and what its potential consequences could be.
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From Professor Robert K Goldman: Trump's Gaza Plan Won't Work—The U.S. Does Not Recognize Palestine as a State, but 143 Countries Do
Trump's plan would flagrantly violate numerous rules of International Law. While the U.S. does not recognize Palestine as a state, of which Gaza is a component, Palestine is a widely recognized as such by 143 countries.
If the U.S. were to use military force to seize Gaza, we would become an Occupying Power under the laws of war and the forcible transfer of Gazans to third countries would constitute a serious war crime and given the scale of the transfer a crime against humanity.
It is also arguable that such "cleansing" of Gaza could amount to genocide. The consequences of doing this would be catastrophic for the US's standing in the world—we would become a pariah state.
Robert K Goldman, Professor of Law & Louis C James Scholar, American University Washington College of Law.
From Dr. Ian Hurd: Trump's Gaza Plan Is The Worst Idea In U.S. Foreign Policy Since Invasion of Iraq
This is the worst idea in American foreign-policy since the U.S. invasion of Iraq. It is foolish, counterproductive, and illegal. Taking territory by force and expelling the residents are war crimes—aggression is a crime, ethnic cleansing is a crime, and attacks on civilians are crimes.
An American-Israeli takeover of Gaza is a textbook example of aggressive war and ethnic cleansing. The Trump White House is showing that it wants the U.S. to follow the example set by Putin with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While most of the world saw Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a disaster for all involved, the Trump administration seems to see it as a model for American foreign policy.
Anyone in the U.S. government who participates in planning such actions is liable for criminal prosecution for conspiracy to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Nuremberg trials after World War II centered on exactly these crimes, and many who were convicted were sentenced to death for their contributions to aggression.
Ian Hurd, Professor of Political Science, Director, the Weinberg College Center for International and Area Studies, Northwestern University.
From Dr. Daniel L. Byman: U.S. Allies in The Arab World Will Strongly Oppose Trump's Gaza Plan
Trump's plan would be strongly opposed by U.S. allies in the Arab world, none of which are eager to take in large numbers of Palestinians. It would also require a massive U.S. economic investment and military presence, which would have little support in the United States.
Daniel L. Byman, Professor, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Department of Government, Georgetown University.
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From Dr. Robert Satloff: Trump Is a Disrupter, But Arab Leaders May Offer Their Own Solutions To Gaza Crisis
Donald Trump is a disrupter and he certainly disrupted conventional wisdom with his proposal for a U.S.-owned "Gaza riviera" made possible by the relocation of nearly 2 million Palestinians to up to a dozen sites around the world.
Is he serious about possibly sending U.S. troops to execute this idea, a proposal that would run contrary to core MAGA instincts? While he is unlikely to find eager partners either from Arab states—who would be asked to host the Palestinians—or fellow members of the UN Security Council—who would be asked, ostensibly, to authorize this move—Trump may find both groups offering their own innovative ideas or willing to ratchet up their own commitments that could ease the Gaza situation.
Some, for example, may overcome their longstanding reluctance to send their own gendarmes to provide civil order in Gaza during reconstruction, as an alternative to taking Palestinians into their own country. So, this is act one of a multi-act play—as bold and, perhaps, crazy as Trump's ideas may seem today, it is important to wait and see the second—and third-order reverberations they trigger and whether some more practical options emerge.
Robert Satloff, D.Phil., Segal Executive Director, Howard P. Berkowitz Chair in U.S. Middle East Policy.
From Professor Diane Orentlicher: Trump's Gaza Plan Would Violate International Law. U.S. Should Contribute to the Reconstruction of Gaza
As articulated by President Trump, his proposal to deport Gazans from their homes would be a flagrant violation of core precepts of international law, amounting to international crimes. It would be infinitely more constructive and stabilizing—not to mention lawful—for the United States to contribute to the reconstruction of Gaza with and for the Palestinians who live there.
Diane Orentlicher, Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law.
From Omar Shakir: Trump's Gaza Plan Would Be a Moral Abomination
The widespread destruction in Gaza is no accident—it reflects a calculated Israeli policy to make Gaza unlivable and force out Gaza's Palestinians.
Standing beside the policy's architect, President Trump suggested in response to that destruction further forcibly displacing Palestinians on an even larger scale and "taking over" Gaza. This would amount to an alarming escalation in the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. It would be a moral abomination, moving the U.S. from complicity in war crimes to direct perpetration of atrocities. States should come together to make clear that this cannot happen and take action to prevent further atrocities against the Palestinian people.
Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director, Middle East and North Africa Division, Human Rights Watch, New York.
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