Trump Said The US Will "Take Over" Gaza, Own It and Turn It To The "Riviera Of The Middle East”
In a joint press conference with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump laid out his vision for the Gaza Strip, saying he wants to turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
US president Donald Trump said the US will “take over” and “own” Gaza to achieve peace in the Middle East.
In a joint conference with Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, Feb. 4, Trump laid out his vision for the Gaza Strip, saying he wants to turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
He refused a two-state solution and suggested that the nearly two million Palestinians should be expelled from Gaza and move to other countries like Egypt and Jordan, claiming it will “give them a chance at life” without destruction and death, calling Gaza a “demolition site” and a “hellhole.”
Egypt and Jordan both strictly rejected Trump's suggestion to forcibly displace Palestinians.
Saudi Arabia, which the US and Israel are looking to build relations with, said it would not normalize relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state, according to Al Jazeera.
Trump said that the US would even deploy troops in Gaza to “do the job” and that the only reason Palestinians want to stay in Gaza is because they had no other option.
“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,” he said.
In his statement, Trump said that people from around the world would live in Gaza after its development, not only Palestinians, and that it will provide thousands of jobs and housing.
In addition to his plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza, he said that the US withdrew from the United Nations Human Rights Council and stopped all funds for the UNRWA, the main aid agency in the occupied Palestinian territories and Gaza.
Hamas rejected Trump’s statement, saying it’s “the recipe of chaos.”
“These statements reflect confusion and deep ignorance about Palestine and the region. Gaza is certainly not a common land and it is not a property that can be bought and sold. American bias towards Israel and against our Palestinian people and against their just rights continues,” a Hamas official said.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas also rejected Trump’s statement, saying “we will not allow any infringement of the rights of our people,” adding that peace will not be achieved without a two-state solution, Al Jazeera reported.
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