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President Donald Trump believes it would be “much better and more majestic” for Palestinians in Gaza to be relocated to neighbouring countries, the White House said on Wednesday.
To the bafflement of many observers, Trump recently proposed that the US take ownership of the Gaza Strip and redevelop it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Israel’s bombardment has flattened much of the territory, with the UN estimating it could take decades and $80 billion to rebuild.
Trump’s proposal involves resettling a population of 2 million Palestinians in other Arab countries while the redevelopment program takes place.
Following a White House visit on Tuesday, King Abdullah II of Jordan said Arab nations are “unified” in their opposition to the idea.
“Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all,” he said in a statement.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt admitted there were differences of opinion between the two leaders, but signalled the president would not shift his position.
“The king would prefer that the Palestinians stay in place with the additional land to be used for new development, which would greatly create jobs at levels never seen before,” she said. “The president feels it would be much better and more majestic if these Palestinians could be moved to safer areas.”
She added, “The president has presented this big, new bold idea to secure peace in the Middle East, and he is not going to waver from that.”
As the two leaders met in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump appeared more aggressive in his language over his proposed takeover.
“We’re going to have Gaza. We don’t have to buy. There’s nothing to buy. We will have Gaza,” he said.
In an interview Sunday with Fox News, Trump said he would build up to six new sites for Palestinians to live outside Gaza, but they would not have a right of return.
On Monday, a letter from 100 organisations in the U.S. forcefully decried Trump’s plan to expel Palestinians, arguing it is tantamount to “ethnic cleansing.”
