Trump doubles down on Gaza “Riviera” comments
US President Donald Trump maintained his intention for the US to take control of Gaza amid international outrage over his “resettlement plan”.
According to Al- Jazeera on February 6th, the President has confirmed his intention to go ahead with the plan despite comments from his administration that the resettlement should be temporary.
US would assume control of the enclave, he said, after Palestinians have been settled in “far safer and more beautiful” communities in the region.
“They would actually have a chance to be happy, safe, and free. The US, working with great development teams from all over the World, would slowly and carefully begin the construction of what would become one of the greatest and most spectacular developments of its kind on Earth,” Trump said on his platform, Truth Social.
Following Trump’s first announcement, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that he ordered the military to draw up a plan for the voluntary migration of Palestinians of Gaza.
Katz praised Trump’s “bold initiative” for Gaza, saying it could “create extensive opportunities for those in Gaza who wish to leave” and “support long-term reconstruction efforts in a demilitarized, threat-free Gaza after Hamas – an effort that will take many years”.
Trump’s statement on Thursday that the US would take control of Gaza sparked outrage among the international community, with Egyptian and Jordanian condemning the plan, as well as statements from various EU governments that Palestinians should remain on their homeland.
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it,” Trump said during Netanyahu’s visit in the US.
Secretary of State Marcy Rubio sought to temper Trump’s comment, saying that the plan only involved Palestinians leaving during the “interim” period of reconstruction.
Likewise, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the administration expected Egypt, Jordan and other countries in the region to accept Palestinians “temporarily so that we can rebuild their home”.
This comes as a second round of talks between Hamas and Israel has started in Qatar with the objective, according with the US-brokered original deal, to negotiate a permanent ceasefire.
Al-Jazeera, Maghrebi
