On Tuesday, President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video on his Truth Social promoting the transformation of Gaza into a luxury beachfront destination, filled with sky-scrapers, condominiums, and bearded bellydancers.
The video shows Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sunbathing together in Gaza, Elon Musk eating hummus, the area being converted into a resort called “TRUMP GAZA,” a golden Trump statue, and children running from rubble into picturesque beaches.
Many likened the AI-generated images to closely resembling Dubai and other major cities of wealthy Gulf countries.
“No more tunnels, no more fear,” sings a voice over a dance beat. “Trump Gaza is finally here!”
The video has been criticized across social media.
“This has to be the most disrespectful and tone-deaf thing a president could do. Have you not understood or read the room?,” wrote one Instagram user. “A destroyed country with countless women and children is not something to neglect or poke fun at.”
In a statement to Newsweek, Hamas also responded to the video.
“Unfortunately, Trump is once again proposing ideas that do not take into account the cultures and interests of the people,” said Basem Naim, a spokesperson for the group.
“The people of Gaza are looking forward to the day when they see Gaza rebuilt, economically revived and building a better future for its children, but this cannot succeed inside the big prison,” he continued. “We are not struggling to improve prison conditions, but to get rid of the prison and the jailer.”
Trump on Gaza: “We’ll own it”
Earlier this month, during his White House meeting with Netanyahu, Trump declared that the United States would take over the Gaza Strip.
“We’ll own it … We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal … the Riviera of the Middle East,” he explained.
“We should go to other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts, and there are many of them that want to do this, and build various domains that will ultimately be occupied by the 1.8 million Palestinians living in Gaza, ending the death and destruction and, frankly, bad luck,” Trump continued.
The proposal was quickly condemned by lawmakers, analysts, and human rights organizations.
“Make no mistake: forcibly removing Palestinians from Gaza is ethnic cleansing. It is obviously illegal, deeply morally wrong, and incredibly dangerous,” said the group Win Without War in a statement at the time. “Palestinians in Gaza have endured unimaginable violence over the last 16 months and still face near-famine conditions. Only a tenuous ceasefire is preventing a return to full-scale war and making sure the remainder of the hostages can get back to their loved ones. People in Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, and beyond need a real end to the war, not permanent forced displacement.”
In the coming days, Trump doubled down on the vision but also backtracked on some points. He had initially suggested that aid could be withheld from Arab states if they did not support the plan but dismissed his own idea after meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan.
When asked whether Palestinians would be allowed to return to Gaza by Bret Baier, Trump replied, “No, they wouldn’t because they’re going to have much better housing. In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them.”
Speaking with Fox last week, Trump seemed to concede that the proposal might not take shape, after being asked about Arab states rejecting the idea. “Well, we pay Jordan and Egypt billions of dollars a year. And I was a little surprised they’d say that, but they did,” he said. “I’ll tell you, the way to do it is my plan. I think that’s the plan that really works. But I’m not forcing it. I’m just going to sit back and recommend it.”
Trump’s Gaza plan was possibly inspired by his son-in-law and former political adviser, Jared Kushner, who made similar comments about the future of the region last year.
“Gaza’s waterfront property, it could be very valuable if people would focus on kind of building up livelihoods,” said Kushner in February 2024. “I think that it’s a little bit of an unfortunate situation there but I think from Israel’s perspective, I would do my best to move the people out and then clean it up.”
We should keep an eye on what our colleagues at Hasbara U are up to, In a word, they are trying to build the intellectual framework that would normalize ethnic cleansing.
“The Moral Case for Mass Relocation…”
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/moral-case-mass-relocation-joseph-schechtman
‘Mass relocation’ would be better for everyone! Who knew?
My reaction on seeing this video (echoed by lots of others across the web) is that it’s a clever spoof put out by some good guys subverting Trump’s megalomania. Like a lot of the best satire, it leaves you wondering “Is this real?”.
This video is beyond bizarre. Trusk needs to be in strait jackets. If this is actually from the unpresident he needs his head examined. But WE need to organize against rising fascism. https://socialism.com/fs-article/defeat-the-fascist-threat-with-a-united-front-of-labor-and-the-oppressed/
Herr Trump and Jared Kushner are also “interested” in the gas reserves that were discovered a few years ago underneath Gaza.
“if people would focus on kind of building up livelihoods”
Does Jared Kushner really not know how Israel has prevented people in Gaza (and the West Bank as well) from making a living?
They fire on fishermen off Gaza. They destroy farmland. They bomb shops and factories. They destroy power plants. Years ago they bombed a greenhouse in Gaza, which had been donated by a European country.
Check out “The Wanted 18,” about a Palestinian dairy farm that Israel said was a threat to their national security. I’m not making this up.