US President Donald Trump has said Palestinians would not have the right to return to Gaza under his US takeover plan, describing his proposal as a “real estate development for the future”.
Trump told Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier: “I would own it” and that there could be as many as six different locations outside Gaza where Palestinians could live – under the plan that has been rejected by the Arab world.
“No, they wouldn’t, because they would have much better housing,” Trump said when Baier asked him if Palestinians would have the right to return to the war-torn enclave.
“In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them, because if they had to go back now, it would be years before they could – it’s not livable.”
Trump first revealed the shocking plan for Gaza during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, drawing anger from Palestinians.
The US president has insisted on moving Palestinians out of Gaza, which has been devastated by the war between Israel and Hamas, and for Egypt and Jordan to take over.
In an interview with Fox – which will air on Monday, after the first part aired before Sunday’s Super Bowl – Trump said he would build “beautiful communities” for the more than two million Palestinians living in Gaza.
“Maybe five, six, maybe two. But we’ll build safe communities, a little further away from where they are now, where all the danger is coming from,” Trump added.
“In the meantime, I would own it. Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be beautiful land. There’s no big expense.”
