Trump denies Palestinians' right of return as he details plan for US to "own" Gaza

Washington DC - President Donald Trump said Palestinians would have no right of return to Gaza under his US takeover plan, describing his proposal in excerpts of an interview released Monday as a "real estate development for the future."

President Donald Trump said Palestinians would have no right of return to Gaza under his US takeover plan.
President Donald Trump said Palestinians would have no right of return to Gaza under his US takeover plan.  © Roberto SCHMIDT / AFP

Trump told Fox News Channel's Bret Baier that "I would own it" and that there could be as many as six different sites for Palestinians to live outside Gaza – under the plan which the Arab world has firmly rejected.

"No, they wouldn't, because they're going to have much better housing," Trump said when Baier asked if the Palestinians would have the right to return to their homeland.

"In other words, I'm talking about building a permanent place for them because if they have to return now, it'll be years before you could ever – it's not habitable."

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Trump first revealed the shock Gaza plan during a joint news conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, drawing global outrage.

The US president pressed his case for Palestinians to be moved out of Gaza, devastated by Israel's genocidal assault, and for Egypt and Jordan to take them.

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In the Fox interview – which will be broadcast Monday after the first half was screened ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday –Trump said he would build "beautiful communities" for the more than two million Palestinians who live in Gaza.

"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," added Trump.

"In the meantime, I would own this. Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land. No big money spent."

Cover photo: Roberto SCHMIDT / AFP

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