Netanyahu backs Trump's plan to relocate Gazans, calls it a 'fresh idea'

Netanyahu has said that Palestinians relocated from Gaza must "renounce terrorism" before being permitted to return, framing it as a condition for long-term stability in the region

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday described US President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians from the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip as a “revolutionary and creative vision”.

 

Speaking to his cabinet after his ‘historic’ visit to Washington, Netanyahu shared that the discussions with Trump had led to “additional considerable achievements that could secure Israel’s future for generations”.

 

“I’m not exaggerating. There are opportunities now that we couldn’t have imagined just a few months ago — they were once deemed impossible, but they’re now on the table,” he added. This statement came after Trump suggested the US take control of Gaza and move around two million Gazans to neighboring countries, a plan referred to as the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’.

 

“President Trump proposed a completely different vision, much more favourable for Israel, a revolutionary and creative one, which we are actively discussing. He is determined to implement it. This opens up numerous possibilities for us,” Netanyahu remarked.

 

In a Fox News interview aired Saturday, Netanyahu called Trump’s plan “the first fresh idea in years”. “It has the potential to transform Gaza,” Netanyahu stated, describing the plan as a ‘correct approach’ to the future of the Palestinian region.

 

Since reclaiming office last month, Trump has consistently suggested that Palestinians from Gaza could be relocated to other Arab nations like Egypt and Jordan, an idea rejected by both those countries and Palestinian leaders.

 

Netanyahu’s vision for executing Trump’s plan

Netanyahu has stated that any relocated Palestinians would need to “renounce terrorism” to be allowed to return to Gaza.

“Offer them the option to relocate temporarily while we rebuild the area both physically and in terms of reducing radicalization. If they want to return, they must disavow terrorism,” he told Fox News.

 

“Allow them to leave voluntarily — not through forced eviction or ethnic cleansing, but to remove them from what many call an open-air prison. Why keep them in such conditions?” he said.

 

The Israeli Prime Minister also pointed out that the primary issue lies in determining where to send the Gazans. He even proposed that a Palestinian state might be “in Saudi Arabia”.

 

The Gaza conflict

Israel captured Gaza in 1967 and maintained a military presence until 2005, when it withdrew its settlers and troops. In 2006, Hamas won the parliamentary elections and took control of Gaza in 2007. This led to major clashes in 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2021. 

The current war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israeli towns, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, 73 of whom remain in Gaza, with 34 confirmed dead. Israel’s subsequent retaliatory airstrikes have killed over 48,000 people in Gaza and displaced nearly 1.9 million. However, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was agreed upon just before Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

 

[With agency inputs]