Trump warmly welcomes Netanyahu, calls for resettling Gazans ‘permanently’

The president did not say whether he thought Palestinians would have a “right” to return to Gaza.

By World Israel News and JNS

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference after their meeting at the White House.

President Trump began by expressing his pleasure at Netanyahu’s return to the White House.

“We had fantastic talks. He’s the first foreign head of state to visit during our administration. Bibi, it’s an honor to have you with us,” he said, directly addressing Netanyahu.

Trump called for “permanently” resettling Palestinians outside Gaza on Tuesday, as he and Netanyahu took questions from reporters at the White House.

The president did not say whether he thought Palestinians would have a “right” to return to Gaza but asked why they would want to return given the level of destruction.

“I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza,” Trump said. “I think that Gaza has been very unlucky for them. They’ve lived like hell. They live like you’re living in hell.”

“Gaza is not a place for people to be living, and the only reason they want to go back, and I believe this strongly, is because they have no alternative,” Trump said. “What’s the alternative? Go where? There’s no other alternative. If they had an alternative, they’d much rather not go back to Gaza and live in a beautiful alternative that’s safe.”

Trump’s comments on Gaza are the clearest indication so far of Trump’s views on whether Palestinians should be allowed to resettle outside of Gaza in Egypt, Jordan or another country.

He has previously said the option could be temporary or permanent and that he would like to “just clean out that whole thing.”

Trump and Netanyahu took 15 minutes of freewheeling questions from reporters, ranging from the prospects for a future Palestinian state, a potential agreement to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia and whether the United States or Israel intend to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“What do you know about anything?” Trump replied to a reporter’s claim that Netanyahu wants the United States to attack Iran.

“You don’t know what he wants,” Trump said.

Asked if the Saudis were demanding the creation of a Palestinian state as a prerequisite to normalization with Israel, Trump replied, “No.”

“Everybody’s demanding one thing, you know what it is? Peace,” Trump said. “We want people to stop being killed.”

With Israel and Hamas heading toward negotiations for phase two of the ceasefire-for-hostage deal, Netanyahu said he was committed to achieving all of Israel’s aims in Gaza.

“I support getting all the hostages out and meeting all our war goals, that includes destroying Hamas’s military and governing capabilities and making sure that Gaza never poses a threat to Israel again,” Netanyahu said. “All three.”