Trump: "Will Take Control of Gaza Strip... US Troops to Be Deployed"
by Oh Suyon
Published 05 Feb.2025 09:40(KST)
Updated 05 Feb.2025 11:26(KST)
U.S. President Donald Trump stated that "the United States will take control of the Gaza Strip." He also said that if necessary, he plans to deploy U.S. troops for this purpose.
On the 4th (local time), President Trump held a press conference after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, stating that the Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip must be resettled in other areas.
President Trump said, "We will own the Gaza Strip and be responsible for dismantling all dangerous unexploded ordnance and other weapons on site," adding, "We will level the land, demolish destroyed buildings, and create economic development that provides unlimited jobs and housing for the local residents."
He continued, "Those who have truly fought, lived, died, and endured miserable lives there should not go through the process of reconstruction and occupation again," and said, "Instead, with a humanitarian spirit, they should go to other countries. Many of them want to do this, and we will ultimately build various areas for the 1.8 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip to reside, ending death, destruction, and misfortune."
Before the meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu that day, he argued that Gaza Strip residents should be relocated to nearby Arab countries such as Jordan and Egypt, and if there are other alternatives, the Palestinian residents would prefer to live in alternative areas rather than return to the Gaza Strip. These remarks have sparked backlash from surrounding Arab countries, the Palestinian Authority, and human rights organizations.
When asked about the possibility of deploying U.S. troops for Gaza Strip security, President Trump said, "As far as the Gaza Strip is concerned, we will do what is necessary," adding, "If needed, we will do so." CNN in the U.S. evaluated this statement as a significant change from President Trump's previous pledge not to involve U.S. troops in overseas wars.
Regarding his plan to take control of the Gaza Strip, he said, "It will create thousands of jobs and will be something that the entire Middle East will be very proud of."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.