Donald Trump has said Gaza will be “turned over” to the United States by Israel as he doubled down on his plan for America to “own” the Palestinian territory.
The US president attracted global condemnation on Tuesday when he said his country would take over Gaza and develop it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
Speaking during a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr Trump also proposed that the two million people living in Gaza could be moved to Jordan and Egypt.
The Arab nations immediately rejected the idea, which the Gaza-based Hamas militant group called “ridiculous and absurd”.
It comes as Israel’s defence minister said Ireland, Spain and Norway are “legally obligated” to take in Palestinians because they criticised Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
Repeating his proposal for the US to take over the territory, Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Thursday: “The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting.
“The Palestinians, people like Chuck Schumer, 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.”
The president has mocked his Democrat rival Mr Schumer since he nodded rather than shook Mr Netanyahu’s hand when the Israeli prime minister addressed Congress last year.
At the time, Mr Trump told supporters at a rally: “Chuck Schumer has become a Palestinian. Can you believe it? He’s become a proud member of Hamas.”
Senate minority leader Mr Schumer, who is Jewish, called the remark “unhinged”.
Mr Trump continued in his Truth Social post on Thursday: “The US, 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.
“No soldiers by the US would be needed! Stability for the region would reign!!!”
Hamas has called for a summit of Arab countries after Mr Trump shared the post.
His comments came after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt attempted to row back on some of his remarks yesterday.
She told reporters that Gazans would be “temporarily relocated” while the territory was rebuilt, not permanently displaced.
Mr Trump and Israeli officials have depicted the proposed relocation from war-ravaged Gaza as voluntary, but the Palestinians have universally expressed their determination to remain in their homeland.
Human Rights Watch and other groups say the plan, if implemented, would amount to “ethnic cleansing”, the forcible relocation of the civilian population of an ethnic group from a geographic area.
Meanwhile, Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz wrote on X on Thursday: “Countries like Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others, which have levelled accusations and false claims against Israel over its actions in Gaza, are legally obligated to allow any Gaza resident to enter their territories.”
When asked about the remarks, Ireland’s foreign minister Simon Harris said: “Such comments are said to be unhelpful, provocative and to quite frankly distract.
“The absolute onus on the international community, including Ireland, is to make sure the ceasefire that’s in place in the Middle East is maintained.
“To make sure that the bombings stop, that the killings stop, that the hostages are released and that we see a very significant surge in humanitarian aid
“Regardless of any comments to distract, that’s absolutely where the focus here in Ireland and I hope right across the world will remain.”
