CNN
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US President Donald Trump posted a video on his Truth Social account late on Tuesday, which appears to have been created with generative AI, promoting the transformation of Gaza into a Gulf state-like resort featuring a golden statue of himself, a hummus-eating Elon Musk, and shirtless American and Israeli leaders lounging on a beach.
“No more tunnels, no more fear,” a voice sings over a dance beat. “Trump Gaza is finally here!”
The American president has proposed expelling 2.1 million Palestinians from Gaza and transforming the enclave into a “Riviera” that would be owned by the United States.
The West Bank-based Palestinian Authority has called that proposal a “serious violation of international law.” The PA foreign minister, Varsen Aghabekian Shaheen, said earlier this month: “We have tried displacement before, and it will not happen again,” referring to the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced during the Arab-Israeli war that led to the creation of Israel in 1948.
The video opens on barefoot Palestinian children walking through Gazan rubble. “What’s next?” a title card asks. They walk towards a skyline of skyscrapers lining Gaza’s coast.
“Donald’s coming to set you free,” a voice sings. “Trump Gaza shining bright. Golden future, a brand-new light. Feast and dance. The deed is done.”
The video, incongruously, features bearded and bikini-clad belly dancers, a child holding a golden ballon in the shape of Trump’s head, and Elon Musk dancing on a beach under a shower of US dollars.
It is unclear whether Trump intends to carry through on his expulsion plan. After receiving forceful pushback from Egyptian and Jordanian leaders, Trump told Fox News on Friday: “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.”
A CNN poll conducted by telephone and online in mid-February found that the proposal for Gaza with no right of return for Palestinians was the least popular Trump action or proposal asked about. Only 13% of Americans in the poll called it a “good thing,” while 58% described it as a “bad thing.”
Arab leaders met in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh on Friday for the first time to formulate a response to Trump’s plan for the US to take ownership of Gaza.
As the Truth Social video ends – “Trump Gaza, number one!” – the camera pushes in on Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sipping drinks on a beach.
CNN is asking the Palestinian Authority and Hamas for comment on the video – and asking the White House for clarification.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct the timing of Trump’s post.
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