Trump's offer to 'take ownership' of Gaza sparks international outrage! Israel approves
US President Donald Trump's announcement on Tuesday that the US could "take over" the Gaza Strip after its population is permanently relocated to other countries has been condemned across the Middle East and beyond and celebrated by members of the Israeli cabinet.
At a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, Trump declared that "the United States will take the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it as well." He said Palestinians "cannot live in Gaza right now" and that the enclave, which has been devastated by 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas, could become the "Riviera of the Middle East."
Trump said the decision was not "taken lightly" and claimed he had high-level support from unnamed leaders with whom he is said to have discussed the idea. Riyad Mansour, the head of the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations, said Palestinians in Gaza should be allowed to relocate to their "original homes" in Israel rather than being relocated to other countries, as Trump suggested.
"For those who want to send the 'Gazans' to a 'beautiful' happy place, 'let them return, you know, to their original homes inside Israel,'" Mansour said. "There are beautiful places there and they will be happy to return to these places." Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it opposes any attempt to displace Palestinians from their homeland and that it will not establish ties with Israel without a Palestinian state.
"Saudi Arabia will continue its unremitting efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without this," the statement said. Its position was "non-negotiable," the statement added.
On Saturday, a group of Arab nations, including Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, rejected an earlier suggestion by Trump that Gaza residents be relocated to neighboring countries, writing in a joint statement that any plan that encourages the transfer or "uprooting" of Palestinians would threaten stability in the region.
At a press conference on Wednesday, meanwhile, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said Beijing was against the "forced transfer" of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, adding that it "has always maintained that Palestinian rule over Palestinians is the basic principle of the post-war governance of Gaza."
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government continues to support a two-state solution in the Middle East "where Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security." "Australia's position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year," Albanese told a news conference.
Trump said he was not opposed to a two-state solution, which has been the official US foreign policy approach for decades. "It doesn't mean anything about a two-state, one state or any other state," the US president said, adding that the US wants to give people "a chance at life" because the Gaza Strip has been a "hell for the people who live there".
“They never had a chance at life, because the Gaza Strip has been a living hell for the people who live there. It’s been horrible,” Trump said. In Israel, Trump’s suggestion was met with praise from far-right members of Netanyahu’s cabinet, who expressed strong disapproval of a fragile ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas in January.
Former Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who resigned from the Israeli government in protest at the ceasefire agreement, posted on social media: "Donald, this looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Ben Gvir also told Israeli radio that his return to Netanyahu's governing coalition was more likely after Trump's proposal.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich thanked Trump in Hebrew in a post on X, where he declared the news "even better and even better," adding emojis of Israeli and American flags. For his part, Netanyahu described Trump as "the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House" and praised him for "thinking outside the box with new ideas."
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