Trump claims Palestinians have ‘no different’ however to depart Gaza earlier than his assembly with Netanyahu

Simply forward of his assembly Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump mentioned that Palestinians had “no different” however to depart their houses in Gaza.

Chatting with reporters within the Oval Workplace, Trump referred to as Gaza, which has been decimated by the Israel-Hamas warfare, a “demolition web site” and prompt that its inhabitants could be “thrilled” to stay elsewhere.

“I do not how they may wish to keep. It is a demolition web site,” he mentioned, including going to a brand new piece of land “could be so much higher than going again to Gaza, which has had many years and many years of dying.”

Requested if that will imply forcibly displacing folks, Trump mentioned, “I do not suppose so. I believe if they’d the chance, if they’d an alternate — they don’t have any different proper now. They’re there as a result of they don’t have any different. What have they got? It is a massive pile of rubble proper now. Who can stay like that?”

“I believe they’d be thrilled to do it,” he mentioned, including that proper now, “they do not have an choice.”

Trump mentioned he believes the Palestinians could be higher off transferring to neighboring Egypt or Jordan, a proposal the international locations and others within the space have already rejected. “I believe they need to get , recent, lovely piece of land,” he mentioned of the Palestinians. “The Gaza factor has not labored.”

A spokesman for Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, blasted Trump’s remarks, saying “we think about it a recipe for creating chaos and pressure within the area.” “Our folks within the Gaza Strip is not going to enable these plans to cross, and what’s required is to finish the occupation and aggression in opposition to our folks, not expel them from their land,” he mentioned.

Trump made the remarks shortly earlier than greeting Netanyahu for a gathering on the White Home, his first sitdown with a international chief for the reason that begin of his second time period.

“He’s right here to see me and I’m right here to pay attention,” Trump informed reporters.

Trump previewed the dialogue on the White Home as a “very massive assembly” when he was talking to reporters Sunday. In his letter inviting Netanyahu to Washington final week, he wrote, “I stay up for discussing how we are able to carry peace to Israel and its neighbors, and efforts to counter our shared adversaries.”

Netanyahu mentioned Sunday that they are going to focus on “the essential points that lie forward of us — defeating Hamas, returning all our hostages and coping with the Iranian axis in all its parts, an axis that additionally threatens Israel’s safety, the Center East and your complete world.”

The 2 are scheduled to fulfill at 4 p.m. ET after which maintain a joint press convention about an hour later.

Trump’s transition staff helped the Biden administration safe a ceasefire and hostage launch settlement between Israel and the militant group Hamas. The subsequent part of the settlement is anticipated to be one of many subjects the 2 leaders focus on Tuesday.

The battle started on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a terrorist assault on Israel by which 1,200 folks had been killed and 251 had been taken hostage. Israel retaliated with an air and land assault on Gaza, killing greater than 47,000 folks, most of them civilians, in line with native officers. A whole lot of 1000’s of Palestinians have been displaced.

The size of Israeli counteroffensive has led to worldwide condemnation, however Netanyahu has defended his actions, most not too long ago en path to Washington.

“The selections now we have made through the warfare, mixed with the heroism of the IDF troopers, they’ve already modified the face of the Center East. They’ve modified it past recognition. I believe that by working exhausting with President Trump, we are able to change it much more, for the higher,” Netanyahu mentioned.

Trump had mentioned he desires Jordan and Egypt to just accept extra Palestinian refugees as a part of an effort to “clear out” Gaza.

Chatting with reporters forward of the assembly, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s particular envoy to the Center East, mentioned the president was referring to creating the realm “liveable.” He additionally mentioned the 5-year timeline to rebuild Gaza in a future part of the ceasefire deal was unrealistic and “preposterous.” Nationwide safety adviser Mike Waltz mentioned rebuilding would probably take as much as 15 years.

“There’s 30,000 unexploded munitions” in Gaza, Witkoff added. “It’s the buildings that would tip over at any second. There’s no utilities there in anyway, no, no working water, electrical, fuel, nothing. God is aware of what sort of illness is likely to be festering there. “

Netanyahu and Trump had been shut allies throughout Trump’s first time period in workplace, however their relationship grew to become strained after Netanyahu congratulated Joe Biden on successful the 2020 election whereas Trump was nonetheless difficult the outcomes.

Simply days after the Oct. 7 assault, Trump informed a crowd at a marketing campaign rally that Netanyahu had “allow us to down” throughout his first administration, arguing that he had been unhelpful earlier than the US killed a high Iranian common. That led to criticism from his Republican rivals, and Trump later posted on social media, “#IStandWithIsrael” and “#IStandWithBibi,” utilizing Netanyahu’s nickname.

Their relationship appeared mended in July when Netanyahu visited Trump at his Florida residence after having met with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and after a failed try on Trump’s life.

Netanyahu mentioned Sunday that the “incontrovertible fact that this will probably be [Trump’s] first assembly with a international chief since his inauguration has nice significance for the state of Israel” and “testifies to the energy of the alliance between Israel and the US.”

The journey is way from Netanyahu’s first journey to the White Home.

When he was welcomed Monday at Blair Home, the historic official visitor residence of the White Home, its director mentioned it was Netanyahu’s 14th go to to the residence — many greater than another international chief has made because it was constructed within the nineteenth century.