'Committed' to Trump's plan for 'a different Gaza', says Israeli PM Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday (Feb 17) that he was "committed" to US President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza.

Trump's plan involved displacing more than two million inhabitants of the Palestinian territory.

The Israeli prime minister said that he is committed to "a different Gaza".

Add WION as a Preferred Source

"I am committed to US President Trump's plan for the creation of a different Gaza," Netanyahu said in a statement.

Earlier this month, Trump, in an interview excerpt released on Monday (Feb 10), said that Palestinians would not have the right to return to Gaza under his proposal for the United States to assume control of the region.

"No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing. In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them," Trump told Bret Baier of Fox News when asked if Palestinians would be allowed to return.

He further suggested that reconstruction efforts could be led by other nations in the region.

The detailed plan involves the US taking control of Gaza, relocating its Palestinian population elsewhere, and transforming the region into the "Riviera of the Middle East."

He introduced the plan alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said that the idea was "worth listening carefully to."

'Neither Hamas nor Palestinian Authority will rule Gaza'

Netanyahu stressed that, as promised the day after the war in Gaza, neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority will be there.

He added that he is "committed to [US] President [Donald] Trump’s plan to create a different Gaza” — referring to a plan to relocate the Strip’s residents while the US takes ownership of the territory and rebuilds it into a “Riviera of the Middle East.”

(With inputs from agencies)