 President Trump on Tuesday at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed the US "take over" the Gaza Strip in a new nation-building project, clean up the destruction Israel wrought and transfer Palestinians out of their homeland.
From ABC News, "Trump says US will 'take over' Gaza: 'We'll own it'":
In a stunning proposal, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. will "take over" the Gaza Strip, "level the site" and rebuild it, after earlier saying Palestinians living there should leave.
"They instead can occupy all of a beautiful area with homes and safety, and they can live out their lives in peace and harmony" in other areas or countries, he said at a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too. 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. Level it out," he said.
"Create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area," he added. "Do a real job. Do something different."
"We should go to other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts, and there are many of them that want to do this, and build various domains that will ultimately be occupied by the 1.8 million Palestinians living in Gaza, ending the death and destruction and frankly, bad luck," he said. "This can be paid for by neighboring countries of great wealth. It could be one, two, three, four, five, seven, eight, 12. It could be numerous sites, or it could be one large site," he said.
"But the people will be able to live in comfort and peace and will get sure -- we'll make sure something really spectacular is done. They're going to have peace. They're not going to be shot at and killed and destroyed like this civilization of -- of wonderful people has had to endure. The only reason the Palestinians want to go back to Gaza is they have no alternative," he said.
"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. And everybody I have spoken to, this was not a decision made lightly," he continued. "Everybody I have 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 in a really magnificent area that nobody would know."
Asked who would live there, Trump responded, "the world's people," saying, "the potential in the Gaza Strip is unbelievable."
"History, as you know, just can't let it keep repeating itself. We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal. And I don't want to be cute. I don't want to be a wise guy. But the Riviera of the Middle East, this could be something that could be so ... magnificent," he said.
Earlier, in the Oval Office, when he also raised the idea, a reporter asked if Palestinians relocated would have the right to return.
"Why would they want to return?" he responded.
"It would be my hope that we could do something really nice, really good, where they wouldn't want to return," he said. Why would they want to return? That place has been hell. It's been one of the meanest, one of the meanest, toughest places on earth," he said.
Asked about sending U.S. troops to Gaza, Trump appeared open to the possibility.
"As far as Gaza is concerned, we'll do what is necessary. If it's necessary, we'll do that," Trump said. "We're going to take over that place and we're going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs."
Netanyahu, delivering remarks after Trump, praised the president for his "fresh ideas" to accomplish their goals, which he said included ensuring Gaza is not a threat to Israel.
"I believe, Mr. President, that your willingness to puncture conventional thinking, thinking that has failed time and time and time again, your willingness to think outside the box with fresh ideas will help us achieve all these goals," he said. The "fresh idea" is the Greater Israel project.
Trump on Monday pushed Congress to approve another $1 billion arms deal for Israel comprised of 4,700 1,000-pound bombs and a bunch of armored bulldozers and unfreeze another $8 billion arms deal for Israel the Biden administration worked out.
The "hell" brought upon the Palestinians was the result of Israel dropping some 85,000 tons of overwhelmingly US-supplied bombs on the Gaza Strip and it could have been halted at any point if the US cut off all aid to Israel.
Instead, Trump is resupplying their stockpiles while talking about "peace."
Trump's proposals are bats**t crazy and have already been rejected by Egypt and Jordan but he keeps repeating them -- indicating this is not mere conjecture but is actually his Kushner-esque "peace plan" for the Middle East.
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