WASHINGTON — Palestinians relocated from Gaza will not have a right to return to their homeland under the hypothetical U.S. proposal to rebuild the coastal enclave, President Donald Trump said in an interview clip released by Fox News on Monday.
“No, they wouldn’t,” Trump declared when asked whether Palestinians would have a right to return to the territory. “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 you could ever — it’s not habitable.”
The president also revealed he thinks he could “make a deal” with Egypt and Jordan to take in a large influx of displaced Palestinians, something both countries have categorically rejected.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II is set to meet with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, where the Gaza proposal is expected to be discussed, according to a U.S. official. Taking in Palestinian refugees has been a major red line for Abdullah since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, 2023. “No refugees in Jordan, no refugees in Egypt,” Abdullah said at a press conference less than two weeks after Hamas attacked Israel — a position he has maintained ever since.
Meanwhile, Egypt announced it will host an emergency Arab summit in Cairo on February 27 to review what it called “new and dangerous developments” for the Palestinian cause.
Trump first unveiled his bid to seize control of Gaza and permanently relocate close to two million Palestinians last week, during a joint press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” Trump said, adding the U.S. will own the war-torn territory, and be responsible for dismantling bombs and other weapons within it. The real-estate magnate turned president suggested he could turn Gaza, which comprises around 140 square miles, into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Almost 70% of the structures in Gaza had been damaged as of December last year, according to a preliminary assessment by the United Nations Satellite Center.
After Trump’s initial comments, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt sought to soften some elements of the proposal, telling reporters the president made his decision with a “humanitarian heart” and that any relocation of Palestinians would be temporary for the reconstruction process.
Trump’s plans for Gaza appear to cause consternation to many Americans, as well as across the Middle East.
A CBS News/YouGov poll released Sunday found just 13% of Americans think the U.S. taking over Gaza is a good idea, against 47% who think it is a bad idea. 40% said they were either not sure whether it is a good idea or bad idea, or that it would depend upon the exact circumstances.