On Monday, President Donald Trump informed the press that he had discussed his proposed relocation plan with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. This plan involves Egypt and Jordan accepting Gazans who have fled the violence in the Gaza Strip.
“I’d like to get them living in an area where they can live without disruption, revolution … when you look at the Gaza Strip it’s been hell for so many years,” Trump remarked.
He continued, “It just seems to me there’s been various civilizations on that Strip and, you know, it didn’t start here. It started thousands of years before, and there’s always been violence associated with it. So I think you could get people living in areas that are a lot safer and maybe a lot better and maybe a lot more comfortable.”
Trump went on to say, “I wish [Sisi] would take some [Gazans]. We helped them a lot, and I’m sure he’d help us. He’s a friend of mine. He’s in a very rough part of the world, to be honest. As they say, It’s a rough neighborhood. But I think he would do it, and I think the King of Jordan would do it too.”
When asked whether his comments suggested that he still backs a two-state solution, Trump responded that he would soon be meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. “I’ll be speaking with Bibi Netanyahu in the not-too-distant future. He’s coming here to meet with me,” he said. On the timing of that meeting, Trump added, “Very soon.”
Trump initially brought up his relocation idea over the weekend, sharing that he had discussed it with Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
On Sunday, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry rejected Trump’s proposal, reiterating the country’s commitment to supporting the Palestinian people in their homeland.
The Ministry stated, “We rejected any infringement on those inalienable rights, whether by settlement or annexation of land, or by the depopulation of that land of its people through displacement, encouraged transfer or the uprooting of Palestinians from their land, whether temporarily or long-term.”
{Matzav.com}