Shattering decades of Middle East policy, Trump vows US will ‘tak

President Donald Trump on Tuesday vowed the U.S. would “take over” the Gaza Strip, reconstructing and developing the coastal enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East” while moving part of its population to other countries.

The comments that shattered several decade-old accepted outlines of Middle East policy came during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House, making him the first foreign leader to visit the U.S. president since his inauguration.

Trump began his unprecedented comments while speaking with reporters before a planned closed-door meeting, reiterating that he sees the Gaza Strip as a “demolition site” that is inhabitable at the moment.

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“There’s hardly a building standing. And the ones that are, are going to collapse. You can’t live in Gaza right now. I think we need another location, a location that’s going to make people happy.”

The president noted that the reality in Gaza currently is “all death. … This has been happening for years.”

“If we can get a beautiful area to resettle people permanently in nice homes, and then they can be happy enough … I believe we can do it in areas where leaders currently say no,” he added.

Addressing how the people would be moved if they refused to do so, Trump noted that if Gazans were presented with an alternative, “they’d much rather not go back.”

“Why would they want to return? That place has been hell,” the U.S. president emphasized.

Earlier this week, five Arab countries and the Palestinian Authority expressed their opposition to the resettlement of Gaza’s population in a letter.

Despite this, Trump said all of the population should be resettled “in areas where they can live a beautiful life.” They could be moved to Jordan or Egypt, or “it could be other countries,” he added.

While Israel’s far-right parties immediately celebrated Trump’s comments, the U.S. leader said he wouldn’t support the reconstruction of Israeli settlements in the area. “I don’t see it happening. It’s too dangerous for people. No one wants to be there. Their warriors don’t want to be there,” he said.

After the closed-door meeting, Trump and Netanyahu emerged for a press conference, with Trump topping his already shocking comments by declaring that the U.S. would “take over” the Gaza Strip for the foreseeable future.

The president said the meeting centered on the future of the Gaza Strip, before dropping the bombshell: “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too.”

He added that the U.S. would dispose of the unexploded ordnance, level the ruins, and rebuild the area creating jobs and housing. Trump declared it was time to “do something different … if you go back, it’s going to end up the same it has for a hundred years.”

“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.”

The president stressed that he studied the issue “very closely” for months, asserting that everyone he spoke to “loves the idea of the U.S. owning that land.”

After reconstruction, the former symbol of “death and destruction” would be an “international, unbelievable place,” where people from around the world will be able to live.

“Palestinians, also,” Trump said. “Palestinians will live there. Many people will live there. But they’ve tried the other, and they’ve tried it for decades and decades and decades. It’s not going to work. It didn’t work, it will never work.”

Despite his long, scripted comments on the issue, Trump did not specify whether U.S. troops would be involved in the plan, what would happen if the population refused to move, or if the neighboring Arab states continued their refusal to accept Gazan refugees.

In his speech following Trump’s statement, Netanyahu didn’t directly endorse the president’s plan, which would have been seen as radical even within Israeli politics until yesterday.

The prime minister lauded Trump’s “willingness to puncture conventional thinking.”

During a Q&A session after the press conference, Netanyahu said his goal was the removal of terrorists from Gaza, which Trump took “to a much higher level.”

Netanyahu added that the president “sees a different future for that piece of land that has been the focus of so much terrorism. … He has a different idea, and I think it’s worth paying attention to this. We’re talking about it. He’s exploring it with his people, with his staff.”

“I think it’s something that could change history, and it’s worthwhile really pursuing this avenue,” he emphasized.

Trump’s stunning comments drew away most of the attention from what was intended to be the focus of their meeting — the talks about the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza.

Addressing this issue, Trump said: “Why wouldn’t a deal get done? A deal can get done. We’ll see what happens.”

“When Israel and the United States work together, and President Trump and I work together, the chances go up a lot,” Netanyahu said.

This article was originally published at All Israel News