U.S. President Donald Trump says that the U.S. will \u201ctake over\u201d and \u201cown\u201d Gaza as part of a plan to turn the enclave into \u201cthe Riviera of the Middle East.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a shocking announcement on Tuesday, Trump said his administration would spearhead an economic development that would \u201csupply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We\u2019ll own it,\u201d Trump said at the White House on Tuesday after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding that Washington would be responsible for clearing destroyed buildings and dismantling \u201cdangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump said he envisioned the U.S. taking a \u201clong-term ownership position\u201d over the enclave. \u201cThis was not a decision made lightly. Everybody I\u2019ve 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump also expressed his hope that displaced Palestinians in Gaza would be \u201cpermanently\u201d resettled and the enclave could become home to the \u201cworld\u2019s people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“So I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza. I think that Gaza has been very unlucky for them. They’ve lived like hell. They lived like you’re living in hell. Gaza is not a place for people to be living.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked if U.S. soldiers could be sent to Gaza to maintain security, Trump said it was a possibility. \u201cAs far as Gaza is concerned, we\u2019ll do what is necessary. If it\u2019s necessary [to send in U.S. troops], we\u2019ll do that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Democrat lawmakers immediately cast doubt on Trump\u2019s proposal. \u201cI have news for you \u2013 we aren\u2019t taking over Gaza. But the media and the chattering class will focus on it for a few days and Trump will have succeeded in distracting everyone from the real story \u2013 the billionaires seizing government to steal from regular people,\u201d Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator for Connecticut, said on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump\u2019s extraordinary proposal is all but certain to roil the next round of negotiations to extend the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump has repeatedly taken credit for the ceasefire deal, which came into effect on January 19, the day before he took office. He blamed the foreign policy of his predecessor Joe Biden for allowing the war in Gaza to begin in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNobody did anything for four years except in the negative,\u201d Trump said at one point during his news conference, referring to Biden\u2019s term in office. \u201cUnfortunately, the weakness and incompetence of those past four years [caused] \u200athe grave damage around the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, Trump has cast doubt on the strength of the ceasefire and whether it would last. \u201cThe strikes could start tomorrow,\u201d Trump said on Tuesday. \u201cThere\u2019s not a lot left to strike.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The initial 42-day truce, which will see the release of 33 Israeli captives and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, expires on March 1st.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Palestinian group Hamas said that negotiations for a second phase of the ceasefire have begun. If agreed to, that phase would see the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the freeing of all captives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Trump lashed out at the group in his remarks, praising Israel\u2019s efforts to cut off resources to Gaza.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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