Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there was nothing wrong in Donald Trump’s idea to displace Palestinians from Gaza after the US president’s proposal was widely criticized internationally.
“The actual idea of allowing Gazans who want to leave to leave. I mean, what’s wrong with that? They can leave, they can then come back, they can relocate and come back. But you have to rebuild Gaza,” Netanyahu said in an interview on Fox News on Wednesday.
Rights groups have condemned as ethnic cleansing Trump’s suggestion that Palestinians in the enclave should be permanently displaced, while also proposing a US takeover of Gaza.
Netanyahu said he did not believe Trump suggested sending US troops to fight Hamas in Gaza or that Washington would finance rebuilding efforts.
“This is the first good idea that I’ve heard,” he added. “It’s a remarkable idea, and I think it should be really pursued, examined, pursued and done, because I think it will create a different future for everyone.”
Since Jan. 25, Trump has repeatedly suggested that Palestinians in Gaza should be taken in by regional Arab nations such as Egypt and Jordan, an idea rejected by both the Arab states and Palestinian leaders.
