The US president says other countries in the Middle East could be tasked with rebuilding some of the war-torn enclaves.
President Donald Trump has repeated the controversial proposal to rule Gaza, saying he has pledged to “buy and own” the war-torn enclave.
Speaking to reporters on board Air Force 1 on Sunday, Trump said Gaza should be considered a “big real estate site” and that other countries in the Middle East could be tasked with handling redevelopment. I stated.
“As long as the US rebuilds it, we can give it to other states in the Middle East and build that section, Trump said on his way to New Orleans to attend the Super Bowl.
“But we have it, we are committed to taking it and making sure Hamas doesn’t come back. There’s nothing to return. The location is a demolition site.”
Trump also insisted that the displaced Palestinians did not want to return to Gaza despite his proposals that spurred backlash from Palestinian representatives and most of the international community.
“If we can give them a home in a safer area — the only reason they’re talking about returning to Gaza is that they don’t have an alternative. When they have an alternative , they don’t want to go back to Gaza,” the US president said.
Hamas, the Palestinian group that controls Gaza, repeatedly opposed Trump’s proposal on Sunday, calling his latest statement “absurd.”
“Gaza is not a property that can be bought and sold, but an integral part of our occupied Palestinian land,” Hamas Political Bureau member Izat Al-Rishek said in a statement shared on Telegram.
“Dealing with Palestinian issues regarding property dealer mentality is a recipe for failure,” added Al-Risheq.
“Our Palestinians will block all evacuation and deportation plans. Gaza belongs to them.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump’s proposal as “revolutionary” and “creative” and attended a cabinet meeting that met with the US president just hours after his return from Washington, D.C.
Trump surprised Palestinians and the international community on Tuesday. Washington proposed taking over Gaza as part of a bold redevelopment plan that claimed the enclave could be transformed into a “Middle Eastern Riviera.”
The US president doubled his proposal the following day after officials in his administration tried to weaken the blowback to the proposal by asserting that Palestinian resettlement was temporary.
Trump, a real estate developer before he entered politics, has provided little detail on how he will implement his proposal.
Initially, he said he was open to the possibility of sending US troops to Gaza, and later said that American soldiers would not be needed to carry out the plans.
Neighborhood countries such as Egypt and Jordan have roundly rejected calls to recruit displaced Palestinians despite suggestions that Trump could resettle in “other countries of interest with a humane heart.” did.
On Sunday, Saudi Arabia denounced Netanyahu’s proposal to use the kingdom’s land to establish a Palestinian state.
“The Kingdom has confirmed that the Palestinians have rights to their land, and they are not intruders or immigrants who could be banished at any time if they wish to brutally occupy Israel. “The Foreign Ministry said in a statement, denounced Israeli leaders. They attempted to “distract” Israel’s ongoing “crime” in Gaza.
