US President Donald Trump proposed the permanent resettlement of Palestinians from war-shattered Gaza to neighbouring countries, calling the enclave a “demolition site” on Tuesday as he held pivotal talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
With Netanyahu at his side in the Oval Office, Trump made suggested that Palestinians should leave Gaza for good “in nice homes and where they can be happy and not be shot, not be killed.”
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answer questions during a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 4, 2025. — Reuters
“They are not going to want to go back to Gaza,” he said.
Reasserting his proposal at a joint press conference after their talks, Trump described the Gaza Strip as a longtime “symbol of death and destruction” and said Palestinians there should be housed in “various domains” in other countries.
He said the US will take over the Gaza Strip, “level the site” and create economic development but did not say how.
