President Donald Trump said Palestinians in Gaza wouldn’t have a right to return under his plan for U.S. “ownership” of the war-torn territory, contradicting other officials in his administration who’ve sought to argue Trump was only calling for the temporary relocation of its population.
Lower than per week after he floated his plan for the U.S. to take control of Gaza and switch it in “the Riviera of the Middle East,” Trump, in an interview with FOX News’ Bret Baier that was set to air on Monday, said “No, they wouldn’t” when asked if Palestinians in Gaza would have a right to return to the territory. It comes as he has ramped up pressure on Arab states, especially U.S. allies Jordan and Egypt, to soak up Palestinians from Gaza, who claim the territory as a part of a future homeland.
“We’ll construct protected communities, somewhat bit away from where they’re, where all of this danger is,” Trump said. “Within the meantime, I might own this. Consider it as an actual estate development for the longer term. It will be a fantastic piece of land. No big money spent.”
Arab nations have sharply criticized the Trump proposal, and Trump’s latest words were released a day before he is about to host Jordan’s King Abdullah II on the White House on Tuesday. Along with concerns about jeopardizing the long-held goals of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Egypt and Jordan have privately raised security concerns about welcoming large numbers of additional refugees into their countries even temporarily.
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After Trump’s initial comments last week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Secretary of State Marco Rubio respectfully insisted that Trump only wanted Palestinians relocated from Gaza “temporarily” and for an “interim” period to permit for debris removal, the disposal of unexploded ordinance and reconstruction.
Trump last week didn’t rule out deploying U.S. troops to assist secure the territory but at the identical time insisted no U.S. funds would go to pay for the reconstruction of Gaza, raising fundamental questions on the character of his plan.
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