President Donald Trump outlined ambitious plans to resettle Gaza's population, "take over" the war-torn strip, clear out "unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site," and spearhead "economic development." A rebuilt Gaza, Trump said, could be "the Riviera of the Middle East."
Trump's remarks came during a Tuesday evening joint press conference with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who became the first foreign leader to visit the White House during Trump's second term. Trump spoke at length about his call, first floated last week, to resettle Gaza's residents. The strip, Trump said, "has been a symbol of death and destruction for decades" and "should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people who have … lived a miserable existence there." Instead, he said, the United States "will take over the Gaza Strip" through "a long-term ownership position" and lead the rebuilding process.
Gazan resettlement plans were long considered taboo in Israel but briefly went mainstream after Oct. 7. Following criticism from the United States and Europe, however, a group of Israeli officials came out against such plans last January.
Now, Trump is taking a different approach, and Netanyahu responded positively during the Tuesday press conference.
