“The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too,” Trump said during a joint press conference alongside his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, later describing his vision for the area as a new “Riviera.”
“We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings,” he said.
Asked whether he was willing to send US troops to fill a security vacuum in Gaza, Trump did not rule it out.
“As far as Gaza is concerned, we’ll do what is necessary. If it’s necessary, we’ll do that. We’re going to take over that piece that we’re going to develop it,” he said.
Trump’s comments are a remarkable assertion from a sitting American president, particularly one who rose to political power in the United States through his criticism of America’s longest wars in the Middle East and pledges to return US investments back to its citizens. They open a host of questions about how Trump’s land-grab would proceed, what its legal authorities would be and who would pay for the effort.
“I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East, and maybe the entire Middle East. ...This was not a decision made lightly. Everybody I’ve 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.”
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Trump suggested that...what he envisioned: a future in Gaza that largely does not involve Palestinians.
“I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza."
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Trump, a former real estate developer, said during his press conference that he had studied the matter “closely, over a lot of months.”