The US President Donald Trump of the United States has reaffirmed his contentious plan to annex Gaza, claiming he is dedicated to “buying and owning” the war-torn territory.
Trump told reporters on board Air Force One on Sunday that other Middle Eastern nations might be entrusted with redeveloping Gaza, which he described as a “big real estate site.”
“As far as rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it; other people may do it, through our auspices,” Trump said while en route to New Orleans to attend the Super Bowl.
“But we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back. There’s nothing to move back into. The place is a demolition site.”
Trump further asserted that even though his idea drew criticism from Palestinian officials and a large portion of the international world, displaced Palestinians would prefer not to return to Gaza.
The US President stated that the only reason they are discussing going back to Gaza is because they have nowhere else to go. If they could provide them with a home in a safer place, that would be great. They don’t want to go back to Gaza when they have other options,
The Palestinian organization that controls Gaza, Hamas, called Trump’s most recent comments “absurd” and reaffirmed its opposition to his idea on Sunday.
Izzat al-Risheq, a member of the Hamas political bureau, stated that Gaza is an essential component of our occupied Palestinian territory and cannot be purchased or sold.
“Dealing with the Palestinian issue with the mentality of a real estate dealer is a recipe for failure,” al-Risheq added. “Our Palestinian people will thwart all displacement and deportation plans. Gaza belongs to its people.”
Speaking at a cabinet meeting earlier on Sunday, just hours after returning from a meeting with the US President in Washington, DC, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Trump’s idea as “revolutionary” and “creative.”
Trump’s proposal for Washington to annex Gaza as part of a bold rebuilding plan that he said could turn the territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East” surprised Palestinians and the world community on Tuesday.
The next day, the US President reaffirmed his idea after administration officials tried to stifle criticism by stating that any Palestinian relocation would only be temporary.
Trump, who worked as a real estate developer before going into politics, hasn’t given many details about how he would carry out his plan, which would be fraught with ethical and legal issues in addition to significant logistical challenges.
Trump indicated that no American forces would be required to execute the plan, despite initially stating that he was open to the idea of sending the US military into Gaza.
Trump suggested that displaced Palestinians may be relocated in “other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts,” but neighboring states like Egypt and Jordan have flatly rejected demands to take them in.
Saudi Arabia denounced Netanyahu’s proposal on Sunday to create a Palestinian state on the kingdom’s territory.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the Israeli leader of trying to “divert attention” from Israel’s ongoing “crimes” in Gaza, saying, “The kingdom affirms that the Palestinian people have a right to their land, and they are not intruders or immigrants to it who can be expelled whenever the brutal Israeli occupation wishes.”
