President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Avi Ohayon/Israeli Government Press Office)
(JTA) — Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed the idea of Gaza Palestinians choosing to leave the territory temporarily, a toned-down version of the proposal President Donald Trump had pushed in a meeting with the Israeli prime minister one day earlier.
Netanyahu’s remarks came shortly after the White House walked back Trump’s dramatic pledges to permanently relocate the entire population of Gaza and bring the territory under American control.
“The actual idea of allowing for Gazans who want to leave to leave, I mean, what’s wrong with that?” he said in an interview Wednesday with Sean Hannity on Fox News. “They can leave, they can then come back, they can relocate and come back. But you have to rebuild Gaza. If you want to rebuild Gaza, this is the first good idea that I’ve heard. It’s a remarkable idea. And I think it should be really pursued.”
The idea of encouraging Gaza Palestinians to leave the territory is not new — Netanyahu’s far-right allies have been pushing it for months — but it got an unprecedented platform on Tuesday when Trump reiterated, in a White House press conference with Netanyahu, that he believes “all” Gazans should permanently leave. He has repeatedly said that he’s pushing the leaders of Egypt and Jordan to take in large numbers of Gazans.
Trump also said on Tuesday that the United States would “take over” Gaza, clear out its rubble and rebuild it as an international destination. While some pro-Israel advocates praised the idea, it drew a chorus of criticism from people who questioned the idea’s legality, wisdom and feasibility — including Republicans in Congress — and accused Trump of advocating ethnic cleansing.
On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, in response to repeated questions, that the proposal was for Gaza Palestinians to leave the enclave “temporarily,” rather than permanently, so it could be rebuilt. She added that Trump had not committed to sending U.S. troops to Gaza.
She flashed pictures of devastation in Gaza on screens behind her to stress that Trump was trying to make a “humanitarian” gesture. She did not directly address his vow to control the territory for the long term.
“I can confirm that the president is committed to rebuilding Gaza and to temporarily relocating those who are there because, as I’ve showed you repeatedly, it is a demolition site,” she said. “There is no running water, there is no electricity. The president wants these individuals to live in peace. He is committed to doing that with this very bold new plan, and we will continue to keep you apprised of updates as we receive them.”
On Thursday morning, Trump echoed that idea, framing his proposal as a boon for the Middle East. As he has in the past, he also used the word “Palestinian” as an epithet to refer to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the Jewish Democrat from New York.
“The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting,” he wrote on social media. “The U.S., working with great development teams from all over the World, would slowly and carefully begin the construction of what would become one of the greatest and most spectacular developments of its kind on Earth. No soldiers by the U.S. would be needed! Stability for the region would reign!!!”
Netanyahu also told Hannity that he did not expect to see Americans fighting in Gaza.
“I don’t think he talked about sending U.S. troops to complete the job of destroying Hamas,” he said. “That’s our commitment, that’s our job and we’re absolutely committed to it. And I don’t think he said he’s going to fund anything.”
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism so that we can be prepared for whatever news 2025 brings.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
