President Donald Trump muddied the waters on his plans for Gaza on Wednesday when he seemed to abandon his plans to move residents out of the region.
During an Oval Office press conference with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, a reporter asked the visiting leader if their bilateral discussions included the future of Gaza and the president’s plan to “expel Palestinians out of Gaza.”
“Nobody is expelling any Palestinians,” Trump interjected, derailing the question.
The president did not elaborate on his assertion except to make a mocking jab at the journalist’s outlet.
It appears to be an about-face on the problem after Trump repeatedly confirmed his intentions to transport the approximately 2 million residents of the Gaza Strip into neighboring Muslim countries.
Under the White House’s plan, the Gaza Strip would then be placed into the “long-term” ownership of the United States, which would oversee the rebuilding of its infrastructure and transform the ravaged coastal area into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
This rhetoric upset many leaders in the region who see it as a destabilizing and counterproductive route to peace.
Trump has fluctuated on his ideas for the removed Palestinians’ ultimate fate, at times alluding to a return to the Gaza Strip after the desolate wasteland is rebuilt but also denying that they would have a “right to return.”
During a February conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said Palestinians in Gaza would be relocated “permanently.”
The Wednesday comment immediately made waves overseas as Middle Eastern governments commented on Trump’s attitude positively.
“This position reflects an understanding of the need to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the importance of finding fair, sustainable solutions to the Palestinian issue,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Hamas also celebrated the comment as an indication that Trump will not give in to the desires of Israel’s “extreme Zionist right.”
“If U.S. President Trump’s statements represent a retreat from any idea of displacing the people of the Gaza Strip, they are welcomed,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said.
KING OF JORDAN, EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT REJECT TRUMP’S PLANS TO REMOVE PALESTINIANS FROM GAZA
He continued, “We call for this position to be reinforced by obligating the Israeli occupation to implement all the terms of the ceasefire agreements.”
Member states of the Arab League have offered their own proposals for how to deal with the future of Gaza, which would include a multinational coalition without ties to Hamas taking temporary authority over the region.
The U.S. and Israel have repeatedly rejected Arab League proposals, taking issue with their failure to demilitarize and disband Hamas directly.