Al-Mezan Organization stated that the Israeli occupation has lifted the ban preventing Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya from meeting his lawyer after 40 days of detention without legal counsel. Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya was abducted by the Israeli army from Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza and was reportedly tortured and mistreated in various Israeli detention centers.
The infamous 19th-century imperialist and racial supremacist, Cecil Rhodes, once remarked: “It is our duty to seize every opportunity to acquire more territory and we should keep this one idea steadily before our eyes that more territory simply means more of the Anglo-Saxon race.” He then added: “Just fancy those parts that are at present inhabited by the most despicable specimens of human beings, what an alteration there would be if they were brought under Anglo-Saxon influence.”
More than a century later, US President Donald Trump expressed similar attitudes during his meeting on Feb. 4, with the Israeli prime minister and indicted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu, when he said: “We will take over the Gaza Strip, will own it long-term and will redevelop it … I do see a long-term ownership position.” In a settler-colonialist spirit, Trump callously continued, “I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza. I think that Gaza is not a place for people to be living.” He neglected to mention, of course, the exception for Jewish settlers in prime real estate along the Gaza beach. He then added, “They’re living in hell,” without any hint of irony, considering the 15-month US-sponsored genocide, supported by funds, bombs, and diplomatic protection.
Strategic agenda and regional dynamics
There were many items on the agenda between Trump and Netanyahu, including Iran’s nuclear program, the future of Gaza and the West Bank, and normalization with Saudi Arabia.
To be sure, Trump was not an unknown quantity. In his first term, he demonstrated total hostility towards the Palestinians and embraced the most radical positions espoused by extremist Zionists. These included recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocating the US Embassy there, the annexation of the Syrian Golan Heights (occupied by Israel since 1967), the closure of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) office in Washington, DC, ending all humanitarian aid to the Palestinians through the UN refugee agency (UNRWA) or US agencies, and integrating Israel within US Central Command (CENTCOM), the US military command responsible for a region stretching from Egypt to Afghanistan.
Furthermore, throughout his presidency Trump completely disregarded the so-called two-state solution — a long-touted US goal — in favor of Netanyahu’s approach of normalizing relations with Washington’s Arab client regimes while pursuing an aggressive settlement expansion policy intended to establish a de facto Greater Israel. In effect, it appears that “Trump 2.0” is trying, in his own way, to fulfill his promises of securing a greater Israel for his right-wing Zionist donors [1], benefactors [2] and appointees [3]. The proposal to forcefully remove over 2 million Palestinians from Gaza does not appear serious or achievable, since the Palestinians will never cooperate in their own displacement, nor would neighboring countries be willing to support a dangerous plan that would destabilize the region. In the past, Trump proposed similar hyperbolic ideas that failed to materialize, including his calls [4] for constructing a Riviera on the beaches of North Korea.
Netanyahu came to the White House with several objectives in mind. He sought Trump’s support to continue his war of extermination in Gaza after freeing many Israeli captives at the end of the first stage of the ceasefire deal. His political allies pressured him to resume the war in order to achieve his elusive objective of dislodging Hamas and eradicating the resistance — an aim he has not accomplished during the 15-month onslaught. It would appear that Trump wants to achieve this goal using political means through his outrageous proposal rather than through military pressure. If that is the case, this would be Trump’s way of handing Netanyahu the fig leaf he needs to silence his hard right critics and conclude the second stage of the ceasefire deal.
On Iran, Trump has doubled down on his policy of applying extreme pressure through economic sanctions in order to get the Iranians to negotiate a deal on their nuclear program. In return, the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has called [5] for “maximum wisdom” to be applied to relations between Washington and Tehran, instead of the “maximum pressure” policy Trump has espoused. Since these are the early stages of diplomatic maneuverings, it’s very doubtful that Netanyahu received a green light from Trump to use military strikes against Iran in the near term.
On the West Bank, the Zionist regime has been escalating its aggressive settlement policy as well as its unprecedented attacks on several Palestinian cities, particularly against refugee camps in Jenin, Nablus, Tobas and Tulkarem.
Towards a Saudi-Israeli accord and its fallout
In the past, Trump and many of his administration officials, such as the new US ambassador to the Zionist regime, Mike Huckabee, have endorsed the expansion of Israeli settlements and the calls for annexing large parts of the West Bank. But backing such a policy now will certainly impede the central piece of Trump’s main objective in the region, which is to conclude a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia. To negotiate a deal with the Saudis, Trump must rein in Netanyahu and his extremist allies by promising them what they desire most: a Gaza free not only of Hamas’ rule but also of Palestinians, as well as the annexation of a large part of the West Bank, in exchange for a normalization deal with the Saudis and possibly beyond.
The Israelis certainly know that they will not get the Palestinians to leave voluntarily when they could not compel them to do that through their genocidal war. They recognize that they cannot unilaterally annex parts of the West Bank before the normalization deal with the Saudis is concluded. They also know that Trump has a very long agenda, both domestically and internationally, particularly with regard to the Ukraine war and China, and will not allow a devastating war with Iran to disrupt his agenda. Once the fog of the visit clears, it will become apparent that Trump’s primary policy in the Middle East is to cement a Saudi-Israeli agreement, one that cannot be finalized without putting a hold on other contentious issues such as a military escalation with Iran, West Bank annexation, or the resumption of the Gaza genocide. But that does not mean that the Zionist regime and its supporters within the Trump administration will not push hard to achieve all their objectives in Gaza, the West Bank and against Iran. Regardless, the Palestinians and their supporters worldwide must be vigilant to resist and defeat all their nefarious plans, particularly in Gaza, the West Bank, as well as any plans to integrate a genocidal regime in the region.
People across the Middle East have witnessed the true colors of the Zionist regime. Achieving a normalization deal with the Saudis or any other party would require nothing less than the total erasure of their collective memory. It would appear that the main lesson of the Oct. 7 attacks has not been learned. They took place at a time when regional and international actors had all but buried the Palestinian cause and ignored the plight of the Palestinians in pursuit of their own interests. Not only will none of the policies advanced by Trump address these issues, but they will exacerbate them. And thus, like his forgotten deal of the century, these policies are doomed to fail.
In a proposal that has sent shockwaves across the globe, President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the US “take over” the Gaza Strip and turn it into a “Riviera of the Middle East” has faced fierce criticism from legal experts and human rights activists.
Trump’s controversial plan came during a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, where he said the US “will take over the Gaza Strip,” and proposed the permanent resettlement of Palestinians.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio later clarified Trump’s remarks, describing the plan as a “generous” offer aimed at rebuilding the war-ravaged enclave, adding that “people can move back in” after reconstruction.
According to Michael Lynk, who served as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territories from 2016 to 2022, Trump’s plan “clearly” violates international law.
“Under international law, it’s clearly illegal,” Lynk, currently an associate professor at the University of Western Ontario, told Anadolu. “Just talking about the forced displacement of Palestinians — the ethnic cleansing of the 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza — that would be a serious violation of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, which both the United States and Israel have signed on to.”
#Trump "has no legal authority to do what he proposed. Expelling a people from their land so that #America or #Israel can take it is a #WarCrime. So, you have one convicted criminal and one alleged criminal [#Netenyahu] making plans that are illegal." https://t.co/bj20q1hGRe
Lynk also pointed out the legal repercussions of such an action under the 1998 Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“It would also be a crime against humanity,” he added, noting that the ICC has jurisdiction over Gaza, even though neither the US nor Israel are signatories of the Rome Statute. “Their leaders could be criminally liable for initiating forced displacement of the Palestinians.”
As the world watches closely, the UN Security Council has already addressed Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 62,000 people, having added thousands who are missing in the rubble, since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s authorities.
In June 2024, the Security Council adopted resolution 2735, calling for an immediate and durable ceasefire in Gaza and rejecting any attempts at “demographic or territorial change” in the Gaza Strip.
“We have both these strong legal and diplomatic guardrails that would be opposed to this,” Lynk said, referring to the both Rome Statute and the June 2024 Security Council resolution.
‘Clearly a war crime’
Jonathan Kuttab, an international human rights lawyer and Executive Director of the Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), a movement of Palestinian Christians, also voiced strong criticism of Trump’s controversial Gaza plan. Describing the proposal as “shocking on many levels,” Kuttab said that it “totally disregards international law.”
“You can’t just go and take another piece of territory and own it,” he told Anadolu. “It’s a war crime. It’s clearly a war crime.”
Kuttab also pointed to the moral dimensions of the plan, calling it “totally immoral.”
He questioned how it was even conceivable to displace over 2 million people in the Gaza Strip from their homes, likening this to an attempt at ethnic cleansing.
“He (Trump) is saying it in the presence of Netanyahu, who’s smirking because he’s the one who destroyed Gaza,” Kuttab noted. “It’s totally unacceptable. It’s also anachronistic.”
Kuttab added that the proposal’s underlying motive was both ideological and practical.
“The ideological aspect is to get people to start thinking in terms of accepting the idea that Palestinians can be removed from Palestine permanently,” he said. “The practical thing is to allow Netanyahu’s government to survive … The government will collapse unless you resume the war, or unless you do something to get rid of the people in Gaza. So Trump is willing to do the work for Netanyahu.”
ICC’s ability to issue arrest warrants for Trump
Lynk also indicated that if the US, with the support of Israel, forcibly removes Palestinians from Gaza and forces them either to Egypt or Jordan, the ICC would have the ability to issue arrest warrants for Trump, Netanyahu, and others involved in such a plan.
The implications of Trump’s proposal extend beyond legal concerns. The international community, particularly in the Arab and Muslim world, have strongly rejected such a move. Everyone in the region and beyond remembers the long history of Palestinian displacement, including the 1948 Nakba, when over 750,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homes, never to be able to go back.
“No Arab or Muslim leader in the region could ever support the forced displacement of Palestinians,” Lynk said.
If Palestinians must leave Gaza, ‘the appropriate place would be Israel’
“If Palestinians have to leave Gaza in order for the rubble to be removed from the war that Israel inflicted on Gaza and to remove the 30,000 unexploded munitions in Gaza, then … the appropriate place for them to move to would be Israel itself,” he suggested.
This, Lynk argued, would fulfill the right of return as enshrined in UN Resolution 194, which guarantees Palestinians this right to go back to their homes that Israel forced them to leave.
“That would seem to be the path that is most consistent with international law and with a rights-based approach.”
The implications of Trump’s proposal could reach beyond the borders of Gaza. Lynk expressed concern that the plan could pave the way for further Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Trump has already reversed Biden-era policies regarding the West Bank by removing sanctions on Israeli settlers and groups.
‘We don’t have to wait for the Hague to act’
Lynk and Kuttab agree that Trump’s plan would be dead on arrival, given the unified rejection it would face from the Arab and Muslim world.
However, Kuttab warned that if Trump attempts to follow through, it would severely undermine the international order.
“The Security Council, of course, will do nothing, because there is the veto power there, but national countries have the right under international law — in fact, the obligation to do something,” he continued.
“We don’t have to wait for the Hauge to act … Every country has local courts that can carry out and implement international law, because crimes against humanity and war crimes have universal jurisdiction,” he stressed in Anadolu.
Arab nations and organizations continued to express their firm rejection of US President Donald Trump’s plan to seize Gaza and displace Palestinians.
Egypt, Algeria, Iraq, Libya and the Palestinian group Hamas released statements Thursday.
It followed earlier rejections from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Oman, along with several regional and international organizations including the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
On Thursday, Trump claimed that Palestinians would have “better lives” under his plan, suggesting they would settle in “safer and more beautiful communities with modern homes.” He said the US would collaborate with development teams to build “one of the greatest projects of its kind.”
Earlier in the day, he claimed that Palestinians would have “a chance to be happy, safe, and free” due to the relocation scheme he proposed.
He added that they “would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region.”
On Tuesday, Trump told a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US will “take over” Gaza and resettle Palestinians elsewhere under an extraordinary redevelopment plan that he said could turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Commenting on Trump’s plan, Egypt said it rejects any proposal “that aims to liquidate the Palestinian cause by uprooting the Palestinian people or displacing them from their historical land and seizing it, whether temporarily or permanently.”
King Abdullah II of Jordan reiterated in a call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that Jordan opposes any attempts to annex land or displace Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank.
Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed its steadfast support for Palestine’s right to establish an independent state, condemning Israeli settlement policies and the displacement of Palestinians.
Algeria condemned any plan to expel Gaza’s residents, warning that such schemes “undermine the core of the Palestinian national project.”
Both Iraq and Libya expressed their strong opposition to any proposals or attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians, calling on the international community to take a firm stand against these actions.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Trump’s plan a violation of international law, asserting that Gaza is an integral part of Palestine and rejecting foreign decisions about the future of Palestinians.
Hamas also denounced Trump’s statements, with spokesperson Hazem Qassem calling for an urgent Arab summit to oppose the displacement project, warning that the US is essentially seeking to occupy Gaza.
Saudi Arabia reiterated its unwavering support for Palestinian statehood, while the United Arab Emirates also condemned the displacement efforts, calling for a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Arab League and Gulf Cooperation Council both reaffirmed their commitment to the Palestinian cause, rejecting any plans for the forced relocation of Palestinians.
The Houthi movement in Yemen also condemned Trump’s statements as a blatant attack on Palestinian rights and an insult to the Arab and Muslim world.
A ceasefire agreement took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, halting Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed nearly 47,600 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and left the enclave in ruins, according to Anadolu.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa ruled out any near-term normalization deal with Israel, citing its continued occupation of the Golan Heights.
In an interview with The Economist, Al-Sharaa stressed that Syria seeks peaceful relations with all countries. However, he noted that Israel’s presence in the region remains a major obstacle. “There is great sensitivity regarding the Israeli matter, especially after the big wars and their occupation of the Golan since 1967,” he said. Al-Sharaa made no mention of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Ahmed Al-Sharaa also addressed US and Israeli military activities in Syria. He reaffirmed Syria’s commitment to the 1974 disengagement agreement with the occupation state, mediated by the UN. He called on Israeli forces to withdraw to pre-advancement positions to allow the UN peacekeeping force (UNDOF) to operate in the buffer zone.
Regarding US troops in Syria, Al-Sharaa asserted that any foreign military presence must be based on official agreements. “We are reassessing the Russian military presence, and we might reach an agreement or not. But any presence should have the host state’s approval,” he explained.
The Syrian president reiterated that international pressure is mounting against Israel’s recent military actions. “There is near-unanimous agreement that this advancement is not right,” he said.
While Al-Sharaa did not rule out future discussions, he emphasized that Syria is still prioritizing internal recovery. “We entered Damascus only two months ago, and there are many priorities ahead of us. It is too early to discuss such matters,” he concluded according to the Quds News Network.
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