Trump suggests US 'ownership' of Gaza as Netanyahu visits

WASHINGTON, United States

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested that the US could take control of the Gaza Strip.

He made the comments during a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is the first foreign leader to visit the White House since Trump's return to office.

While speaking alongside Netanyahu at a joint press conference, Trump said that the US would take "ownership" of the Gaza Strip.

"The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We'll own it. And be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on this site," Trump said.

He described Washington's role in the territory as a "long-term ownership position."

Trump promised to "develop" Gaza and that Saudi Arabia would be "helpful" there.

He said that Washington had not taken a position on recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, but would likely make an announcement on the topic over the next month.

Trump said he would "love" to make a deal with Iran, but stressed that Washington would not allow Tehran to develop a nuclear weapon.

At the same press conference, Netanyahu hailed Trump as the "greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House."

He said he believed Israel would strike a peace deal with Saudi Arabia. "I think peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia is not only feasible, I think it's going to happen," he said.

Trump told a press conference that Palestinians could be moved from Gaza to another location.

"It would be my hope that we could do something really nice, really good, where they wouldn't want to return," Trump said as he met Netanyahu in the Oval Office, saying that Palestinians could be resettled "permanently."

"Why would they want to return? The place has been hell," he said, while referring to the enclave as a "demolition site."

"You can't live in Gaza right now. I think we need another location. I think it should be a location that's going to make people happy," Trump added.

Trump had previously proposed a plan involving moving displaced Palestinians out of Gaza and into other Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt and Jordan. Both Amman and Cairo have rejected the proposal.

Following Trump's Tuesday press conference with Netanyahu, Saudi Arabia said it would not agree to ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state is established with East Jerusalem as its capital.

"Saudi Arabia will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that," the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement posted on the platform X.

The statement said that Riyadh's position was "unwavering" and "non-negotiable."

It said that the kingdom rejects "attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land."

The statement comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed confidence that normalization with the Gulf kingdom would happen.