Trump confirms plans to 'buy and own Gaza'
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Trump believes he may be able to sway Egyptian and Saudi leaders into taking in Palestinians from Gaza.
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US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on February 9, 2025. (AP)
US President Donald Trump confirmed his commitment to "buy and own Gaza," suggesting to turn it into a "prime location for future development." and suggesting the possibility of giving "parts of it to countries in the Middle East for construction."
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, the US President asserted he would "take care of the Palestinians and ensure they are not killed," and possibly allow some into the US.
Trump also mentioned that he would soon meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, expressing his belief that countries in the region would change their mind about taking in Palestinians after speaking to him.
In a related development, Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated on Thursday that there had been proposals for the Palestinian Authority to take control of Gaza, but he prefers Trump's suggestion that the US govern.
Netanyahu said Saudi Arabia could take forcibly displaced Palestinians in and create a Palestinian state on Saudi land in an interview with Channel 14 that was conducted during his Washington visit.
During their meeting, which was preceded by a press conference, Netanyahu and Trump reportedly discussed normalization with Saudi Arabia, and the Israeli PM said that normalization with Riyadh is not only feasible, but he "thinks it's going to happen."
Netanyahu emphasized during his Channel 14 interview that he would not sign an agreement with Saudi Arabia that would endanger the occupation, "Especially not a Palestinian state. After October 7? Do you know what that is? There was a Palestinian state, it was called Gaza. Gaza, led by Hamas, was a Palestinian state, and look what we got – the biggest massacre since the Holocaust."
"The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there," he said.
Palestinians are owners of the land, not intruders: KSA
The Saudi Foreign Ministry on Sunday expressed its appreciation for the unified stance of Arab and Islamic nations in condemning and rejecting recent remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the displacement of Palestinians from their land.
In an official statement, the Ministry emphasized that these collective positions reaffirm the centrality of the Palestinian cause to Arab and Islamic countries.
It strongly condemned Netanyahu's statements, describing them as an attempt to deflect attention from the ongoing atrocities committed by the Israeli occupation in Gaza, including acts of ethnic cleansing targeting the Palestinian population.
The statement underscored that such rhetoric reflects an "extremist occupying mentality" that fails to grasp the deep historical, emotional, and legal connection of the Palestinian people to their land.
It also criticized the disregard for the Palestinian people’s inherent right to life and dignity, stressing that Palestinians are not "intruders or immigrants" to be expelled at the will of the Israeli occupation.
These actions, it stated, blatantly disregard justice, international law, and the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter, including the right of people to live in dignity on their land.
Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia once again affirmed on February 5 its steadfast stance on Palestinian statehood, underscoring that any diplomatic normalization with "Israel" hinges on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with East al-Quds as its capital.
