Saying that Donald Trump has got "nothing to do with Gaza," American University of Beirut professor Dr Zeina Jallad came down heavily on the US President's plan to re-build the strip of land and settle the Gazans in Jordan and Egypt.
Talking at the India Today Conclave, Dr Jallad, a Palestinian by birth, called out Trump's plan as a move to expel Palestinians out of their lands and incite further genocide following the war with Israel.
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"What does a Riviera mean? Palestinians have the potential to build their own Riviera. They're so capable and well-equipped to build whatever they desire. But, how do we create a normal condition for them to live? This is the question," Dr Jallad told India Today TV's Foreign Affairs Editor Geeta Mohan.
Pointing at a video showing kids running through the rubble in Gaza, stepping out into the sun and a dazzling landscape, Dr Jallad denounced the video and attacked the Western construct of seeing a post-war Gaza as a beachfront.
Calling the "stereotyping and profiling of Palestinians" disturbing, Dr Jallad said that her people have been painted as "barbaric" and "dehumanised in every sense."
Pointing out how history is repeating itself, Dr Jallad talked about the declaration made by former British Prime Minister James Balfour back in 1917 which paved the way for carving out Israel for Jews, "who were struggling in their words."
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Calling the US President's plan to relocate Palestinians, the "Balfour declaration revisited," Dr Jallad said that Trump is making a similar promise, adding that the US President is trying to carve out a new future for Palestine and its inhabitants, knowing nothing about the people and the place.
Denouncing Trump's resettlement plan, Dr Jallad said that the US President is snatching the Palestinians' right to live, "commercialising everything to a Riviera."
Dressed in a black jacket adorned with Palestinian embroidery symbolising both destruction and hope, Dr. Jallad reminisced about growing up in Palestine in the early nineties.
Saying that she was not able to school, she remembered that her books were packed in a garbage bag and being sent to study by her father, not knowing if she will ever return back home, she said.
"I had checkpoints growing up...Mother was tortured at a checkpoint and she lost her life day after," she said.
Reimagining a "day after" for Palestinians, Dr Jallad said, "I want life, I want peace, I want love, I want music, I want dance."
Published By:
Sayan Ganguly
Published On:
Mar 7, 2025