Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said that US President Donald Trump is the “greatest friend” Israel has ever had in the White House.
“You’ve picked up right where you left off,” he added, saying, “Your leadership has brought hostages home.”
As reported by The Times of Israel, Netanyahu also stated that Trump released munitions that the prior administration had held back, lifted “unfair sanctions on Israeli citizens” — referring to sanctions targeting some extremist settlers — “took a strong stand against antisemitism, stopped funding UNRWA, and reintroduced maximum pressure on Iran.”
US wants to take over the Gaza Strip?
President Donald Trump pledged that the U.S. would take control of the war-torn Gaza Strip after Palestinians are relocated to other areas, aiming to develop it economically. This proposal would significantly disrupt decades of U.S. policy regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” Trump told reporters, as reported by Reuters. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site.”
“If it’s necessary, we’ll do that, we’re going to take over that piece, we’re going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs, and it’ll be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of,” Trump added.
Asked who would live there, Trump said it could become a home to “the world’s people.”
Netanyahu said Trump was “thinking outside the box with fresh ideas” and was “showing willingness to puncture conventional thinking.”
During the press conference, Trump mentioned that he plans to visit Israel and may also travel to Gaza. While the new president has not yet revealed his first foreign trip, hinting it could be to the United Kingdom or Saudi Arabia, he confirmed at the joint event with Netanyahu that Israel is on his itinerary, and a visit to Gaza is a possibility.
Trump reiterated his appeal to Arab nations to take in displaced Palestinians as he was set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House later that day.
“The Gaza situation has never worked,” Trump told reporters. “If we could find the right land, or pieces of land, and build them some really nice places, I think that would be much better than going back to Gaza.”
(This is a developing story).
(With input from agencies)
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