Trump says his "Gaza takeover" plan won't allow displaced Palestinians to return
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President Trump boards Air Force One at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans in Louisiana on Feb. 9 after attending Super Bowl LIX. Photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump said in an interview with Fox News that the two million Palestinians he wants to move from Gaza to neighboring countries will not have the right to return to the enclave.
Why it matters: Trump's suggestion last week that the U.S. could "take over" Gaza surprised many of his own advisers, thrilled right-wing Israelis, and deeply alarmed the governments in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. .
- The White House soon after walked back Trump's comments, which were announced at a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that Palestinians would be moved "permanently" from Gaza
- But Trump now doubled down on his original remarks in his interview over the weekend with Fox's Bret Baier, a portion of which was released Monday.
- Netanyahu met last week in Washington with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and discussed among other issues Trump's Gaza plan, two sources with knowledge of the meeting said.
Driving the news: When asked if Palestinians could return to Gaza, he said: "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 will be years before it could happen. It is not habitable," Trump said.
- Aid organizations say that many parts of Gaza are not habitable because of the immense destruction of buildings and infrastructure since the Israel-Hamas war began in 2023.
- Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff who visited Gaza two weeks ago told Axios it will take 10-15 years until Gaza could be habitable again.
State of play: Trump said his "Gaza takeover" plan envisions building several communities for the two million Palestinians from Gaza in other parts of the region.
- He stressed he believes he will be able to get a deal with Egypt and Jordan on taking Palestinians from Gaza to their territory.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week the Palestinians will only be moved "temporarily" from Gaza until the reconstruction is over and they can return.
- Trump himself said on Friday there was no rush in implementing his plan.
Zoom out: Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty met on Monday in Washington with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and discussed Trump's plan. Rubio said last week displacement would be on an interim basis as the land is rebuilt.
- Jordanian King Abdullah II will meet Trump on Tuesday in the White House to discuss the plan.
- Egypt and Jordan strongly oppose the plan and are mobilizing the many other Arab and Western countries to oppose it too.
- The leaders of the Arab League are expected to meet in Cairo in two weeks for an emergency summit about Trump's plan.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
