During a visit from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump announced plans for US ownership of the Gaza Strip, declaring “the Gaza thing has never worked.”
“If we could find the right piece of land, pieces of land, and build them some really nice places, I think that would be a lot better than going back to Gaza.”
During a press conference late on Tuesday following his meeting with Netanyahu, the US president went on to describe how Gaza had been a “very unlucky place for a long time”.
He added that together, the US and Israel would return “peace” and “prosperity” to the region going forward and proposed a US-owned land where Palestinians could live “peacefully”.
“Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs,” he said.
It would be the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
Gazans have slammed Trump’s comments, telling the US President to “go to hell.”
“Trump can go to hell, with his ideas, with his money, and with his beliefs,” Samir Abu Basel told Sky News from Gaza City.
“We are going nowhere. We are not some of his assets.”
The father-of-five continued: “If he wants to resolve this conflict, he should take the Israelis and put them in one of the states [in the US].
“They are the strangers, not the Palestinians. We are the owners of the land.
Palestinians have long been victims of forced removals, with Gaza residents fearing they could be facing another “Nakba” – a repeat of when millions were displaced during the founding of Israel in 1948.
Speaking following Trump’s comments, Netanyahu addressed the US president, adding: “You are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House”.
He added that “Israel will end the war by winning the war,” explaining that it will be a victory for the US as well.
Mr Trump also renewed his call to Arab nations to relocate displaced Palestinians as he welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, saying “you can’t live in Gaza right now, you need another location”.
Mr Trump’s proposal has triggered a wave of reactions, as a variety of senior UK politicians have voiced their opposition.
Environment secretary Steve Reed told LBC a two-state solution is the only route to lasting peace when he rebuffed the idea on Wednesday morning.
He told Nick Ferrari: “The UK Government’s view on this is crystal clear…we believe that Palestinian civilians must be able to return to their homes and to rebuild their lives that have been shattered over the last 14 months.
He added: “If we want a long-lasting peace in that area, the only way we can reach that is a two-state solution with a secure Israel, safe and at peace within their borders, alongside a viable Palestinian state.”
Mr Reed said the Palestinians will need international support due to the state Gaza is in.
He also hoped for the ceasefire – which came into effect on January 19 – to become long-term.
“Lets use the ceasefire to negotiate a long term peace,” he added.
Israel has killed almost 62,000 Palestinians since October 7 2023 – the vast majority being women and children.
Hamas, which sparked the war with its October 7 2023, attack on Israel, said Mr Trump’s proposal was a “recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region”.
“Instead of holding the Zionist occupation accountable for the crime of genocide and displacement, it is being rewarded, not punished,” the militant group said in a statement.
Egypt, Jordan and other American allies in the Middle East have already rejected the idea of relocating more than two million Palestinians from Gaza elsewhere in the region.
Saudi Arabia, an important American ally, weighed in quickly with a sharply-worded statement, noting that its call for an independent Palestinian state was a “firm, steadfast and unwavering position”.
“The kingdom of Saudi Arabia also stresses what it had previously announced regarding its absolute rejection of infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, annexation of Palestinian lands or efforts to displace the Palestinian people from their land,” the statement said.
