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President Trump presents ambitious plan to relocate Gaza Strip’s entire population, but says he doesn’t ‘necessarily’ back Israeli resettlement of Gaza, says it will be turned into ‘Riviera of the Middle East’ and a home for the ‘world’s people.’
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
President Donald Trump on Tuesday unveiled his plan for the post-war administration of the Gaza Strip, calling for the mass migration of the coastal enclave’s entire population, with the United States assuming control of the area for the foreseeable future.
During a joint press conference in the White House Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump called for “permanently” resettling the Gaza Strip’s entire population in third-party countries.
The area, Trump continued, would not be administered either by Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, or a non-partisan committee of Gazans, as proposed by Hamas and the PA.
Instead, Gaza would be placed under the direct control of the United States for the foreseeable future.
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too,” Trump said, emphasizing the need for a lengthy rehabilitation period.
“We’ll own it, and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons of the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply an unlimited number of jobs and housing for the people of the area.”
“We’ll do a real job, do something different. You can’t go back. If you go back, it’ll end up the way it’s been for a hundred years.”
“I think we will be a great keeper of something that is very, very strong, very powerful, and very, very good for the area, not just for Israel, for the entire Middle East,” Trump continued. “There will be jobs for everyone.”
“Everyone I have spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent.”
However, Trump provided few details on the future of the Gaza Strip following its reconstruction as the “Riviera of the Middle East,” saying he would “not necessarily” back the resettlement of the area by Israeli Jews.
The president only offered vague ideas regarding its future inhabitants, while declining to say whether American control of the Strip would be permanent.
“I think the potential in the Gaza Strip is unbelievable and I think representatives from all over the world will be there,” Trump said, adding that the “world’s people” would live in Gaza following its reconstruction.
While Trump did not rule out allowing some Gazans to return to the Strip one day, he emphasized that most should be resettled permanently elsewhere.
“I think they’ll be resettled in areas where they can live a beautiful life and not be worried about dying every day.”
English (US) ·