Auburn University men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl is adamantly in support of President Donald Trump’s suggestion on Tuesday that the U.S. should take control of the Gaza Strip and permanently resettle the 2 million Palestinians that live there.

In a radio interview with conservative personality Dan Bongino, Pearl said America taking over resettlement in Gaza would be beneficial to prevent a, “terrorist society”, from being rebuilt and create safety for Israel.

“Yesterday was a bad day for terrorists all over the world,” Pearl said.

“Because Donald Trump said, ‘You know what, this isn’t going to work. You want to do this. You want to act this way. There are going to be consequences to pay.’ And rather than us trucking billions of dollars of aid into Gaza and help them build a terrorist society, the rockets are done. Israel no longer has to live under that threat.”

Pearl has not been shy about voicing his support for Israel since Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

That attacked resulted in approximately 1,200 Israelis being killed and 250 hostages being captured by Hamas.

During Pearl’s interview he also said that Palestinians could not go back right now due to the conditions on the ground. The conditions are such because Israel initiated a 15 month, U.S. backed, bombing campaign against Gaza resulting in the death of approximately 46,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

These numbers include primarily civilians constituting children and women who likely have incurred permanent disabilities or profound trauma.

Pearl added that resettling surviving Palestinians would allow them to get started in a, “more normal society,” and the U.S. can turn Gaza into a place similar to Abu Dhabi or Singapore.

Pearl said revenues generated from this creation could be used to help those relocated.

“Okay, let’s just say they’re able to relocate these people to get started in a more normal society somewhere throughout the world,” Pearl said. “And they go in [Gaza], and they really just, they really clean the place up. And they got a chance to create an Abu Dhabi, a Singapore, an amazing place. And there’ll be tremendous Arab wealth.”

In January, a ceasefire-deal was brokered between Hamas and Israel. Conditions of the deal included Israel receiving the remaining hostages in exchange for the release of 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.

However, there is now concern Trump’s proposal for U.S. control of Gaza could threaten any current or sustainable peace.

According to Reuters, Palestinians in Gaza emphatically disapproved of the idea by Trump.

Samir Abu Basel in Gaza City said that Trump can, “go to hell”, and the Palestinian people were not going anywhere.

“Trump can go to hell, with his ideas, with his money, and with his beliefs,” Basel said. “We are going nowhere. We are not some of his assets.”

Um Tamer Jamal, a 65-year-old mother of six, said, “We will not leave our areas. We have brought our kids up teaching them that they can’t leave their home and they can’t allow a second Nakba.”

According to the United Nations, the Nakba means catastrophe in Arabic and is a reference to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War which lead to the mass displacement and dispossession of thousands of Palestinians.

Several states also rejected Trump’s suggestion including China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Egypt.