On Tuesday, February 4th, President Trump met with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, making Netanyahu the first foreign leader to visit the White House during Trump’s second term.
Netanyahu’s visit coincided with negotiations between Israel and Hamas on the second stage of a ceasefire agreement. The first stage of the agreement focused on releasing Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
After their meeting at the White House, Trump and Netanyahu held a joint press conference.
“The United States will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do this job well,” Trump said during the press conference. “We will take possession of it and be responsible for dismantling all dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on site. We will level the ground, clear destroyed buildings, flatten them. Create economic development, provide unlimited job opportunities and housing for the people in the region, do a real job, something different.”
“I hope this ceasefire can be the beginning of a larger, more lasting peace. End the bloodshed, solve the problem thoroughly. To achieve this goal, my government has been rapidly gaining the trust of allies and rebuilding America’s strength in the region,” he added.
Trump has previously proposed relocating Palestinians from the area, stating that wealthy Middle Eastern countries should extend a helping hand to these “unfortunate” people.
When asked about his optimism regarding reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the second stage of the hostage deal, Netanyahu stated, “We will try.”
“This is one of the issues we are here to discuss, and when Israel and the United States cooperate, the chances of success are greatly increased,” he emphasized.
Currently, the Gaza ceasefire and hostage agreement are in the first stage, which came into effect on January 19 and is expected to last six weeks.
Netanyahu’s office announced earlier on Tuesday that an Israeli working-level delegation would head to Doha by the end of the weekend to discuss the “continued implementation” of the agreement.
At the White House, Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s war goals, including neutralizing Hamas’s combat capabilities. He emphasized that Israel will not rest until all remaining hostages are brought home and other war goals are achieved.
“I support the rescue of all hostages and achieving all our war goals – including destroying Hamas military and governance capabilities and ensuring Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu stressed his commitment to realizing “all three goals.”
Trump expressed his desire to see Palestinians relocated from Gaza, mentioning countries like Jordan and Egypt should take action. He emphasized that the situation in Gaza has been unsuccessful and needs a change.
“I think they should have some nice, fresh, beautiful land, and then we let some people put up money to build it, make it beautiful, make it habitable, and turn it into a pleasant place,” he added.
During the bilateral meeting with Netanyahu, Trump hinted that the relocation could be permanent, calling Gaza a “very dangerous” “evacuation site.”
When asked if Palestinians have the right to return, Trump told reporters, “I hope we can do some very good, fantastic things so they don’t want to go back. Why would they want to go back? That place is already hell.”
Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, stated on Tuesday that the second stage will end the war with Hamas and return all Israeli hostages held in Gaza, hoping that all parties can “get to the right place.”
Witkoff noted that the third stage of the ceasefire agreement – Gaza reconstruction – will be complex and the three to five-year Gaza reconstruction timeframe set by the temporary ceasefire agreement is not a feasible post-war plan.
He once again urged Arab countries to resettle displaced Palestinians, stating that it is unfair to explain to Palestinians they can only return after five years, calling the notion absurd.
Egypt, Jordan, and other Arab countries have outright rejected Trump’s appeal to resettle 2.3 million Palestinians from the Gaza area during the post-war reconstruction period.