President makes announcement during joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister
Washington D.C., USA – US President Donald Trump has declared that the United States will “take over the Gaza Strip” and oversee its redevelopment, following his suggestion of permanently resettling Palestinians outside the enclave.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump stated: “The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too.”
“We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, (and) create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” he said.
When asked whether the US would deploy troops to Gaza, Trump responded: “If it’s necessary, we’ll do that. We’re going to take over that piece. We’re going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs, and it will be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of.”
Trump also indicated that he saw the US having a “long-term ownership position” in the Gaza Strip, claiming this would bring “great stability to that part of the Middle East, and maybe the entire Middle East.”
“This was not a decision made lightly. Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land,” he asserted.
“I’ve studied this very closely over a lot of months, and I’ve seen it from every different angle, and it’s a very, very dangerous place to be, and it’s only going to get worse. And I think this is an idea that’s gotten tremendous—and I’m talking about from the highest level of leadership—tremendous praise. And if the United States can help to bring stability and peace in the Middle East, we’ll do that.”
When asked whether his plan ruled out a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Trump responded: “It doesn’t mean anything about a two-state or one-state or any other state. It means that we want to give people a chance at life.”
He added: “They have never had a chance at life because the Gaza Strip has been a hell hole for people living there.”
Pressed on who would reside in Gaza should Palestinians be relocated, Trump said: “The world’s people.”
“I think you’ll make that into an international, unbelievable place. I think the potential in the Gaza Strip is unbelievable,” he stated.
“I think the entire world, representatives from all over the world, will be there, and they’ll live there. … Palestinians will live there. Many people will live there.”
He went on to claim that Gaza would become “the Riviera of the Middle East,” adding: “We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal.”
Netanyahu, in response, said: “As we discussed, Mr President, to secure our future and bring peace to our region, we have to finish the job.”
He further stated that Israel must ensure that “Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.”
Earlier, during a meeting with Netanyahu at the White House, Trump suggested that Jordan and Egypt could absorb Palestinians displaced from Gaza, describing the enclave as “a demolition site and uninhabitable.”
Trump’s proposal has sparked widespread outrage, with critics accusing him of endorsing “ethnic cleansing” and committing a “war crime.”
Jordan and Egypt have strongly rejected the relocation plan, alongside other regional and European nations, including the UK, France, and Germany.
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