President Donald Trump has said Palestinians would not be allowed to return to the Gaza Strip under his plan to take over and rebuild the area, according to parts of an interview released on Monday.
When asked by Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier if Palestinians would have the right to return, Trump replied: “No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing. In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them because if they have to return now, it’ll be years before you could ever – it’s not habitable.”
These comments are likely to cause widespread anger among Palestinians, Arab leaders and others around the world. Trump first mentioned his idea about taking control of Gaza during a news conference after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week.
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His advisers tried to play down the plan, saying Trump wasn’t promising to send American soldiers or money to rebuild Gaza. Some people have suggested this is Trump’s way of pushing countries like Jordan and Egypt to take in Palestinians. However, Trump has repeated his plan several times since then.
“We’ll build safe communities, a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is,” Trump said. “In the meantime, I would own this. Think of it as a real estate development for the future.” He didn’t explain whether he meant he would own Gaza as U.S. president or as a property developer.
Trump is expected to discuss his Gaza plans when he meets Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Washington on Tuesday.
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