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(CNN) — President Donald Trump on Sunday doubled down on his plans for the US to redevelop Gaza, saying that he viewed the war-torn enclave as a “big real estate site.”
“I think that it’s a big mistake to allow people — the Palestinians, or the people living in Gaza — to go back yet another time, and we don’t want Hamas going back. And think of it as a big real estate site, and the United States is going to own it and we’ll slowly — very slowly, we’re in no rush — develop it. We’re going to bring stability to the Middle East soon,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled to the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
According to the United Nations, Israel’s war on Hamas has displaced 90% of Gaza residents, many of whom have been forced to move repeatedly.
Trump, a former real estate magnate, described Gaza as a “demolition site” that would be “leveled out” and “fixed up.”
He again suggested that other Middle Eastern countries would house displaced Palestinians in “beautiful sites.”
Trump first raised the proposal Tuesday during a joint press conference alongside his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu. “The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too,” Trump said, later describing his vision for the area as a new “Riviera.”
Netanyahu has since described Trump’s plan as a “revolutionary, creative vision.”
Addressing a cabinet meeting on Sunday after his return from the United States, Netanyahu said the visit and discussions he had with the US president “carry with them additional tremendous achievements that can ensure Israel’s security for generations.”
Netanyahu told his cabinet on Sunday that Trump presented a “different vision for the ‘day after’” the conflict in Gaza.
“For a whole year, we’ve been told that in the ‘day after,’ we need the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority,” the Israeli leader said.
“President Trump came with a completely different vision, much better for the state of Israel. A revolutionary, creative vision – and we are discussing it. He is very determined to implement it. This also opens up many possibilities for us.”
But a Hamas official called Trump’s latest remarks “absurd.”
“Gaza is not a property that can be bought and sold, and it is an integral part of our occupied Palestinian land,” said Izzat Al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau. “Dealing with the Palestinian issue with the mentality of a real estate dealer is a recipe for failure.”
Regional leaders have also rejected Trump’s plans, which break with decades of US foreign policy. His proposals are expected to be a key topic of discussion when the president hosts the king of Jordan at the White House this week.
But Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, suggested earlier Sunday that Trump was offering an initial salvo to bring other players in the region to the table to find a solution.
“Come to the table with your plan if you don’t like his plan,” Waltz said during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” adding that the White House has received “all kinds of outreach” since Trump’s comments earlier this week.
This story has been updated with additional information.
The-CNN-Wire
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