At its root, this suggestion was intended in part to spur action on an issue Trump viewed as moribund, with no other nations offering reasonable solutions for how to rebuild an area that has been obliterated by Israeli bombardment following Hamas' October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks. However it came about, his unveiling of the idea came as a shock.
Trump's close Middle East advisers, like national security adviser Mike Waltz and Witkoff, knew Trump was planning to lay out the proposal on Tuesday". Waltz and Witkoff discussed the idea with Netanyahu Monday night while meeting with the Israeli leader at the". ~ Trump personally maintains he will be able to work out a long-term agreement with Jordan and Egypt to ultimately accept Gazans displaced by his proposed effort, despite those countries rejecting any plan to accept new Palestinian refugees". ~ The Jordanian king is now unexpectedly contending with a new dynamic to the deeply complex matter of what to do with Gaza.
He read from a prepared text the sentence that caused a global double-take: "The US will take over the Gaza Strip."
A day after Trump made his comments, Waltz suggested it had been in the works for some time. ~ In public and private conversations over the last year, Trump has repeatedly highlighted the value of Gaza's seaside location, suggesting it was prime real estate for development. His son-in-law Jared Kushner made a similar argument last year, calling Gaza's waterfront "very valuable." ~ That openness to help clearly evolved over the ensuing two weeks to the plan he unveiled Tuesday to take control of the strip and rebuild it into an "international, unbelievable place." ~ "In its place is a renewed, clear-eyed focus on defending America's vital interests".