Trump says Gaza would be 'turned over' to US by Israel
WASHINGTON
President Donald Trump said Thursday that Gaza would be "turned over" by Israel to the United States when the conflict is over, and no soldiers would be needed for his subsequent takeover and redevelopment plan.
Trump doubled down on the shock plan he first announced on Tuesday — and on his plan to resettle two million Palestinians elsewhere from Gaza in the Middle East — on his Truth Social network.
"The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting," Trump said in an early morning post.
"No soldiers by the U.S. would be needed! Stability for the region would reign!!!"
Trump stunned the world by announcing during a joint press conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday that "the U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip."
"We will do a job with it, too. We'll own it," he said to audible gasps during the press conference, saying the United States would remove unexploded bombs and rubble and rebuild the war-torn enclave.
But he offered few details and his administration appeared to backtrack Wednesday after facing a wave of criticism from Palestinians, Arab governments and world leaders.
Trump's Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the idea "was not meant to be hostile," while the White House said there was no commitment to sending U.S. troops and that any displacement of Palestinians would be "temporary."
The Republican president however showed Thursday that he still wanted to press ahead with the plan as he had originally announced it, including the mass displacement of Palestinians.
Trump said that by the time of his planned handover by Israel to the United States Palestinians "would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region."
"They would actually have a chance to be happy, safe, and free," Trump added.
"The U.S., 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 had given mixed signals on Tuesday who would inhabit his planned post-war Gaza, saying it would be "the world's people" but that "also, Palestinians would live there."
The New York Times reported on Thursday that Trump had surprised both his own staff and the Israelis with the "hastily-written" plan for Gaza, with no discussions with the Pentagon or the State Department.
Israel's defense minister meanwhile ordered the army on Thursday to prepare for "voluntary" departures from Gaza, following Trump's remarks.
'Absolutely unacceptable'
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem warned that Trump's plan to take over Gaza and displace its people was a "declaration of intent to occupy" the Palestinian territory.
The Palestinian militant group also called for "an urgent Arab summit to confront the displacement" of Palestinians from Gaza, Qassem said in a statement.
Trump, meanwhile, doubled down on the shock plan he first announced on Tuesday and on his proposal to resettle two million Palestinians elsewhere in the Middle East.
"The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting," Trump said on his Truth Social network.
"No soldiers by the U.S. would be needed! Stability for the region would reign!!!"
Hamas's spokesman condemned Trump's statements as "absolutely unacceptable".
"Gaza is for its people and they will not leave," Qassem said.
"We call for the convening of an emergency Arab summit to confront the displacement project," he added.
"Trump's remarks about Washington taking control of Gaza amount to an open declaration of intent to occupy the territory.
"We do not need any country to run the Gaza Strip and we do not accept replacing one occupation with another.
"We call on the Arab peoples and international organisations to take strong action to reject the Trump project."
