
US President Donald Trump on Saturday expressed his desire for countries like Jordan and Egypt to accept more Palestinian Arabs who have fled the fighting in Gaza, suggesting a potential mass relocation to essentially "clean out" the conflict-ridden area and start anew, The Associated Press reports.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump revealed he had discussed this idea earlier in the day with King Abdullah II of Jordan. He also mentioned an upcoming conversation with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, scheduled for Sunday.
“I’d like him to take people. I’d like Egypt to take people,” said Trump, as quoted by AP. “You’re talking about, probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know it’s, over.’”
Reflecting on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Trump praised Jordan for their intake of Gazans so far, saying he told King Abdullah, “I’d love for you to take on more, cause I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess.”
The President added he considered the potential relocation of Palestinian Arabs as something that “could be temporary or long term,” noting the historical context of conflicts in the region over centuries.
“Something has to happen,” Trump stated. “But it’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there.”
He further elaborated, “So, I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change.”
Trump’s comments follow a report by NBC News last week, which stated that Trump is considering the temporary relocation of residents from Gaza to Indonesia to aid in reconstruction.
However, Indonesian officials rejected the notion of temporarily hosting Gazans, saying, “Any attempt to uproot or deport Gaza residents is entirely unacceptable.”