🌊 Gaz-a-Lago?

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Gaza could become the “Riviera of the Middle East” within 15 years, according to members of the Trump Administration.

Few of Trump’s policies have caught people more off guard than his announcement on Tuesday that the US “will take over the Gaza Strip.”

“We’ll own it,” he said, adding that the US would “create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.”

Trump continued: “If we can find the right piece of land, or numerous pieces of land, and build them some really nice places with plenty of money in the area . . . I think that would be a lot better than going back to Gaza, which has had just decades and decades of death.”

So is Trump serious? What is known so far about the proposal?

The plan was reportedly known to only a select few senior advisers before being made public. The timing was especially delicate, as it came amid ongoing hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

President Trump framed his idea as a humanitarian and economic revitalization effort, saying it would end generations of misery in Gaza, which he deemed an uninhabitable “hell zone.”

He outlined objectives including removing unexploded ordnance, clearing debris, and creating housing and job opportunities for Gazans. Drawing from his real estate background, he said that Gaza could become “the Riviera of the Middle East.” Trump’s Middle East envoy – a real estate developer who helped broker the ceasefire – later mentioned that the development could take place within 10-15 years.

Trump’s announcement caused shockwaves globally. World leaders rushed to condemn it, as many supporters of Palestine – and even many skeptics of Palestine – labeled it a cut-and-dry “ethnic cleansing” and “imperialist” plan. Many who didn’t oppose the idea on moral grounds blasted it as unrealistic or a recipe for a disastrous American entanglement. Protests broke out immediately.

The criticism even came from within Trump’s own party. Steve Bannon, a key figure in the MAGA movement, said, “Our focus…is East Palestine [Ohio], not Palestine,” while Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) posted on X, “I thought we voted for America First. We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers' blood.”

But anyone could have predicted the condemnation and backlash. Which begs the question: Is Trump serious? And if he is, what’s his strategy?

Editor’s Note

Thank you for reading another installment of this newsletter. We’ll be back on Sunday with a deep-dive into how Congressional lobbying contributed to the tragedy at Reagan Airport. See you then.

–Max and Max

RocaNews co-founders