Donald Trump has said that he intends for the US to “take” Gaza and turn it into a “freedom zone” once the war is over.
Speaking during a press conference in Qatar on the third day of his Middle East tour, the president reiterated his desire for American administration of the Strip during the reconstruction process.
He said: “I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good, make it a freedom zone, let the United States get involved and make it just a freedom zone.
“I’d be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone.”
Trump did not specify what this “freedom zone” would entail, but he has previously proposed transferring most of Gaza’s two million-strong population to third countries, most likely Egypt or Jordan, while the territory is rebuilt.
This plan has received backing from the Israeli government, with Prime Minister Netanyahu saying he is “committed” to Trump’s propose takeover of the Strip to turn it into what the president dubbed “the Riviera of the Middle East”.
Elsewhere during the conference, Trump also stated that Iranian negotiators had “sort of” agreed to terms for a new nuclear deal.
The talks, which have been taking place for several weeks both in Qatar and in Europe, had so far yielded no significant advancement.
He did not provide any details what these terms might be, but it is understood to be unlikely that they result in a full denuclearisation of the kind heavily advocated for by Jerusalem.
Instead, recent reports have suggested that the proposed new agreement could impose stricter limits on Tehran’s uranium enrichment, restrict the number of enrichment centrifuges it can maintain and mandate that the existing stock of enriched material be diluted.
In return, the Islamic Republic will reportedly be allowed to continue developing a civilian nuclear programme and to sell its excess enriched uranium to the US.
Finally, Trump suggested that Washington “could go back on the offensive” against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen despite a recent truce agreement.
Jerusalem was reported to have been blindsided by the ceasefire, agreed between the US and the militants in return for a halt of strikes on American ships in the Red Sea. The deal was apparently concluded without consultation and did not take account of the fact that the Houthis continued to launch missiles at Israel, including a recent strike near Ben-Gurion Airport.
