 "Trump says he is in 'no rush' to develop Gaza but calls it a 'big real estate site'")
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he is “not in a rush to develop Gaza.” The remarks from the president came a week after he suggested that the United States should take over Gaza and 2 million Palestinians should be relocated to neighbouring countries. During a joint press conference with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said that he wants to make Gaza a “Riviera of the Middle East”.
Trump’s remark stirred major controversy with Arab nations condemning his proposal. While speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump defended his idea by calling Gaza a “big real estate site.” He insisted that developing infrastructure there would bring stability in the Middle East. “Think of it as a big real estate site, and the United States is going to own it, and will slowly, very slowly, we’re in no rush, in development. We’re going to bring stability to the Middle East,” Trump told reporters.
Trump called Gaza “a demolition site,” insisting that it will be “reclaimed.” “It’ll be reclaimed. It’ll be levelled out, and fixed up. There won’t be anybody there. Hamas won’t be there. We’ll be building through other of the very rich countries in the Middle East, they’ll be building some beautiful sites for the people, the Palestinians, to live in,” he said. “They’ll be living in harmony and peace, relatively, for the first time in hundreds of years," he furthered.
Trump doubles down
On Friday, Trump asserted that Gaza should be given to the United States by Israel and doubled down on his idea of making Palestinians leave the region. Earlier, he said that he would back the resettlement of Palestinians into Egypt and Jordan, despite the fact that both countries immediately rejected such a deal.
Trump on Friday insisted that his plans would lead to stability in the area with “very little money”. However, he hasn’t shared the logistics of his plans as of now, which has led to questions about whether American troops will be deployed in the region for this plan to work.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsMeanwhile, Trump’s proposal garnered immense support from Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In an interview with Fox News, the Israeli premier called Trump’s plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza the “first fresh idea in years.”
He emphasised that Trump’s idea was innovative. “It has the potential to change everything in Gaza,” he told the “friendly” news outlet in a pre-recorded interview. This was the third interview the Israeli premier granted to Fox News while he was on a six-day trip to Washington DC.
While defending the American leader, Netanyahu said that Palestinians won’t be forcibly evicted from the coastal enclave. “Not ethnic cleansing. Getting out from what all these countries and all these do-gooders say is an open-air prison. Why do you want to keep them in prison?” he remarked.
The Israeli premier maintained that Gazans will be eventually able to return home. However, Trump’s initial plan did not include this idea. “Give them the option to relocate temporarily while we rebuild the place physically and while we also rebuild it in terms of radicalization. Do you want to come back? You have to disavow terrorism, but you can come back," he furthered.
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