Benjamin Netanyahu praises Donald Trump's ‘remarkable’ Gaza Strip takeover plan, ‘The first good idea that I’ve heard’
“And I think it should be really pursued and examined, pursued and done,” Benjamin Netanyahu said of Donald Trump's proposal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised Donald Trump’s promised US takeover of Gaza Strip, saying it was the “first good idea” he has heard regarding the war-torn region. “The actual idea of allowing first Gazans who want to leave to leave. I mean, what’s wrong with that?” Netanyahu told Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
“They can leave, and they can then come back, they can relocate and come back. But you have to rebuild Gaza. If you want to rebuild Gaza you can’t have … this is the first good idea that I’ve heard. It’s a remarkable idea,” he said. “And I think it should be really pursued and examined, pursued and done. I think it will create a different future for everyone.”
What did Donald Trump propose?
On Tuesday, February 4, President Trump proposed a US takeover of the Gaza Strip, after suggesting moving “all” Palestinians who live there to other countries. He added that in a transitional phase, Trump added that the roughly 2 million Gazans would be relocated to neighbouring countries. "The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We'll own it," Trump told a joint press conference with Netanyahu.
The President added that the US would get rid of unexploded bombs, "level the site" and remove buildings that have been destroyed, and "create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area."
Trump also indicated that it was not Palestinians who would return there. "It should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have really stood there and fought for it and lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there," he said, adding that inhabitants of Gaza should instead "go to other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts."
Meanwhile, Netanyahu praised Trump as the "greatest friend Israel has ever had” and said his plan about Gaza could "change history" and was worth "paying attention to."