Macron chastises Trump's Gaza Strip 'real estate operation'

French President Emmanuel Macron chastised President Trump’s proposal for the Gaza Strip and the Palestinians living there, arguing that his “real estate operation” is not the right answer for the war-torn enclave and the region. 

“You cannot say to 2 million people, ‘OK, now guess what? You will move,’” Macron said during his interview with CNN, which was published Tuesday. 

“The right answer is not a real estate operation, this is a political operation,” the French president said. 

Since last week, Trump has been discussing the idea of the U.S. taking control of Gaza and rebuilding it while the Palestinians would leave the area for some time. He doubled down on the proposal Tuesday morning, saying U.S. troops will not be involved, despite objections from Arab leaders and even some GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill. 

Trump claimed during his meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan on Tuesday that Palestinians do not want to live in Gaza. The king of Jordan told Trump that Arab nations and Egypt are expected to put forward a proposal on the issue. He also said that Jordan would bring in 2,000 sick Palestinian children. 

Macron has previously criticized Israel’s military operation in Gaza but has expressed that the Jewish state has the right to defend itself following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. 

France’s president said in October last year that France would pause arms deliveries to Israel that would be used in Gaza. 

“I always reiterated my disagreement with [Israeli] Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Macron said during the interview, which CNN said was recorded Thursday last week before the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris.

“I don’t believe, once again, that such a massive operation targeting sometimes civilian people is the right answer,” he added. 

Following his meeting with Trump, Abdullah said in a statement that Jordan and Arab nations are strongly opposed to Trump’s idea of moving Palestinians outside of Gaza. 

“I reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This is the unified Arab position,” Abdullah wrote. “Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all.”

Abdullah praised the commander in chief as a “man of peace” and said Trump was “instrumental in securing the Gaza ceasefire. We look to U.S. and all stakeholders in ensuring it holds.”