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‘Gaza is not Trump estate’: Palestinians in UAE react to US President’s proposal to ‘own’ war-torn strip
Trump said the US plans to 'develop' Gaza and turn it into 'something that the Middle East can be very proud of'
- PUBLISHED: Wed 5 Feb 2025, 7:15 PM UPDATED: Wed 5 Feb 2025, 10:03 PM
Palestinian expats in the UAE strongly condemned US President Donald Trump's statement on Wednesday that his country would take over the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and develop it economically after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere. They said Trump should not treat their land as a “real estate project.”
Trump, who was with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a joint press conference in Washington DC, even went on to call Gaza a "demolition site” and suggested the permanent resettlement of more than two million Palestinians to neighbouring countries.
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Like other Palestinian expats who spoke with Khaleej Times, Dubai resident and media practitioner Salma, 34, showed her indignation of any US takeover of Gaza. She said: “I wasn't entirely surprised by what I heard this morning (February 5), because Trump often thinks of the way he can benefit from any political crisis, especially if he saw a potential real estate project, such as Gaza that was hinted last year by his son-in-law, who talked about Gaza's waterfront property being "very valuable".
Trump is a former real estate tycoon who became a billionaire renovating and developing skyscrapers, hotels, casinos, and golf courses. He recently appointed a fellow New York real estate developer and billionaire Steve Witkoff as his special envoy to the Middle East.
Salma said: “Trump has ignored every bit of international organisations and laws, so this brazen announcement of his administration takeover is just another one.”
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“My only concern now is whether the rest of the world will sit and watch in silence as he acts on it – the way they did during his first term, when he recognised Jerusalem and the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. I hope everyone will stand up and actually do something to stop (Trump) this time.
Trump said about Gaza, a coastal strip 45km long and about 10km wide: "We're going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs, and it'll be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of.. (It'll be) home to the world's people (having the potential to be 'The Riviera of the Middle East'.”
'Do not erase our history'
Trump's proposal – which has no specific details – suggests that Gaza's residents would be relocated to neighbouring countries such as Egypt and Jordan, while US would commence redeveloping the area. This move has been widely criticised across the Arab world, but it resonates particularly strongly among Palestinian communities in the UAE, where many view it as an affront to their national identity and right to return.
Ahmed, a 34-year-old engineer living in Dubai, expressed his deep frustration with the plan. “This is a disgrace,” he told Khaleej Times. “Trump is attempting to erase our history and force us into exile. We've already been displaced, and now he wants to take away the little we have left: Our dignity and our homeland.”
Lina, a 29-year-old teacher, echoed similar sentiments, saying, “This plan is not a solution. Moving us out of Gaza will not end the occupation or the suffering of our people. It will only create more instability and fuel further resentment.”
The condemnation from Palestinian expats in the UAE highlights the deep emotional and political stakes tied to Gaza and the broader Israeli-Palestinian war. While Trump's plan aims to resolve the issue through economic development and resettlement, Palestinians argue it will only worsen the situation. They called for a comprehensive solution based on social justice and self-determination that will ensure their rights are protected.
'This is our land'
Omar, a 45-year-old shop owner originally from Gaza, warned that Trump's takeover proposal could backfire. “It's insulting and disrespectful. It undermines our rights and reduces our existence to mere political bargaining chips,” he said. “We will never accept it. Palestine is our land, and we belong there.”
“Displacement of Palestinians from Gaza is a violation of international law – like another Nakba,” said Anwar Awni Sunallah, who moved from Gaza to Dubai in 2012.
“I'm not actually surprised hearing Trump's plan because it only revealed his plans for the past years,” she noted, adding: “We can actually liken his latest statement to the Balfour Declaration in 1917, made by then British foreign secretary Arthur Balfour, who threw support for 'the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people'.”
“That declaration resulted in the massive displacement of Palestinians that culminated in Nakba or the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948,” Anwar explained, adding: “Our family previously lived in Yafa – now called Tel Aviv – and we were forced to migrate to Gaza in 1948.”
“Displacement has been happening every day since 1948. We should keep telling this story because there should be no excuse – we must do something to completely stop this war and bring us back to our land,” she added.
Meanwhile, the UAE affirmed its commitment to support regional peace and stability, and its position to safeguard the rights of Palestinians.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) underscored “the importance of finding a serious political horizon to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and establish an independent Palestinian state, reflecting the UAE's belief that regional stability can only be attained through the two-state solution.”
The Ministry further stressed its categorical rejection of any infringement on the Palestinians' unalienable rights, and any attempts of displacement, and reaffirmed the importance of halting any settlement activities which threaten regional stability and undermine the opportunities for peace and co-existence.
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