With grim inevitability, US President Donald Trump has advocated for the forced expulsion and ethnic cleansing of nearly 2 million Palestinians from Gaza.

During a sinister press conference on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump outlined his vision for Gaza, which appears to completely disregard international law and Palestinian human rights.

Trump announced the US would take ownership of Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.

Inevitably, the world, especially Palestine’s Muslim neighbours, has responded to the news with shock, horror and anger.

His proposal would effectively see the territory’s entire Palestinian population forcibly expelled from their homeland, with Trump suggesting they could be relocated to neighbouring Arab countries.

For a president who campaigned on ‘America First’ and pledged to end foreign interventions, this brazen move and the potential of US troops in Gaza comes as no surprise to critics who always saw through the facade. It also serves as a bitter vindication for critics who questioned how some Muslims could support Trump given his consistent pro-Israel stance.

“Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent,” Trump told reporters at the press conference.  

He said Gaza is “a demolition site. Virtually every building is down. They’re living under fallen concrete that’s very dangerous and very precarious”.

“They instead can occupy all of a beautiful area with homes and safety, and they can live out their lives in peace and harmony, instead of having to go back and do it again.”

He added: “I have a feeling that the King in Jordan and the General in Egypt will open their hearts and will give us the kind of land that we need to get this done.”

Jordan and Egypt are heavily dependent on US military aid and Trump believes he can use that to corner the two countries into accepting a deal. .

Trump was also questioned about recognising Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, which would contravene international law.

“We’re discussing that with many of your representatives. You’re represented very well… [but] we haven’t been taking the position on it yet,’ he said, adding that a decision would be made within four weeks.

Worldwide reaction

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas led a chorus of rejection from across the Middle East to any forced displacement of Gaza’s population. “We will not allow any infringement of the rights of our people, which we have struggled for decades and made great sacrifices to achieve,” he said.

Saudi Arabia issued a particularly stark warning, describing its opposition to Palestinian displacement as clear, explicit and non-negotiable.

“Saudi Arabia also reiterates its previously announced unequivocal rejection of any infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, the annexation of Palestinian lands, or attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land,” read the statement from The Foreign Ministry.

Jordan’s Royal Court said: “His Majesty King Abdullah II stresses the need to put a stop to [Israeli] settlement expansion, expressing rejection of any attempts to annex land and displace the Palestinians.”

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty emphasised the need for the Palestinian Authority to resume its governance role in Gaza.

Meanwhile, in the UK, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer faces mounting pressure to take a stronger stance against Trump’s proposals.

A cross-party motion, spearheaded by Labour MP Richard Burgon and supported by more than 30 parliamentarians, calls for decisive government action.

It comes as Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Trump is correct that Gaza is “lying in rubble” while insisting that Palestinians must be able to “live and prosper” in the area. He also failed to condemn Trump’s remarks.