President Donald Trump has said Palestinians who leave the Gaza Strip as part of his plan to rebuild the war-torn territory will not be guaranteed a right to return to their homes.
“We‘ll build beautiful communities, safe Communities—could be five, six, could be two. But we’ll build safe communities a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is,” Trump said.
“In the meantime, I would own this. Think of it as a real estate development for the future.”
Baier then asked Trump whether Gaza’s current residents would have the right to return once reconstruction of the territory is complete.
“No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing, much better,” Trump replied. “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 Gaza Strip has been the scene of heavy fighting for more than 15 months, as Israeli forces have carried out extensive aerial and ground combat operations to destroy the Hamas terror group and locate the hostages it took on Oct. 7, 2023.
Trump has floated a few different iterations of his proposal for post-war Gaza in recent weeks.
At a White House press conference on Feb. 4, while standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump floated the idea of a U.S. takeover of the war-torn territory. At the time, the president suggested post-reconstruction Gaza would be open to people from around the world, including Palestinians.
It remains uncertain under what terms Gaza’s current population may be moved and where they may go. The Epoch Times contacted the White House for more details about this aspect of Trump’s proposal but did not receive a response by publication time.
Gaza’s civilian population could potentially be incentivized to leave the territory and give up any guarantee of returning under Trump’s plan. They could also be compelled to leave by force or worsening living conditions.
Forcibly removing a civilian population from an occupied territory by military force or coercion could potentially be seen as a war crime under current international law.
Speaking with Baier on Feb. 9, Trump said he could compel Egypt or Jordan to take in Gaza’s current population.
“I could make a deal with Jordan, I think. I could make a deal with Egypt. You know, we give them billions and billions of dollars a year,” Trump said.
The recent fighting in the Gaza Strip is one bloody episode in a conflict between the Israeli and Palestinian people that has spanned decades. There is broad support in the international community for a two-state solution in which the Israeli and Palestinian people each have an independent sovereign state, but a final deal remains elusive.
