Speaking casually during a press conference this morning, US President Donald Trump declared the US would take over the Gaza Strip.
His words were so casual that some analysts were left scratching their heads as to whether he was speaking off the cuff, or making an official announcement.
But standing with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it seems Trump wants to overturn decades of foreign policy in the United States in a way that may result in Gazans being forcibly relocated to as yet unnamed countries, and even US troops going in.
He said Americans will go in and clear the area, and that Gaza could become the “Riviera of the Arab world”. He added that US troops will be deployed “if it is necessary.”
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” he said.
He described Gaza as a “demolition site”, and that Palestinians in Gaza should be moved to a “beautiful area with homes and safety… so that they can live out their lives in peace and harmony.”
“We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous and unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, we’ll level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings.
“The Gaza strip has been a hell hole for people living there. It’s been horrible. Hamas has made it so bad, so dangerous, so unfair,” he said while standing next to Netanyahu.
“We think we’re going to bring great peace to well beyond this area.”
Earlier today, Trump suggested that Gazans should move out of the Gaza Strip – saying they could move to “four or five places” which increased to “seven or eight” places during this press conference.
Trump took a limited number of questions from some astonished journalists.
He dismissed other questions from journalists, including one asking about the US plans for Afghanistan. He described the journalist as having a “beautiful accent” but that he couldn’t understand “a word” she’d said, and then moved on to the next question.
