Trump suggests U.S. ‘long-term possession’ of Gaza as he says it might be the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’: Live
President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday night that the U.S. “take over” the Gaza Strip and that the U.S. will “own” the territory.
“Instead of having to go back and do it again, the U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip,” said Trump during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site.”
“I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East,” he added.
“I don’t want to be cute, I don’t want to be a wise guy,” the president said before suggesting that Gaza could be “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
This comes as Trump also said Tuesday that he is in “no rush” to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping to resolve the new trade war between the world’s two largest economies, which was ignited by his sweeping 10 percent tariffs on all Chinese imports.
This follows Trump’s agreement to suspend his aggressive tariff hike against Mexico and Canada by one month after speaking with his counterparts in both nations. However, the threatened Chinese tariffs went ahead.
Trump draws ire from Democrats
As reactions continue to pour in on Donald Trump’s Gaza comments, Democratic senator Chris Murphy lashed out at the president, calling his suggestion a “bad, sick joke”.
“He’s totally lost it. A U.S. invasion of Gaza would lead to the slaughter of thousands of US troops and decades of war in the Middle East. It’s like a bad, sick joke,” he said on X.
Democratic representative Jake Auchincloss called the proposal “reckless and unreasonable” in an interview with NewsNation and warned that it could jeopardise the second phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
“We have to look at Trump’s motives,” he said. “As always, when Trump proposes a policy item, there is a nepotistic, self-serving connection.”Referring to Mr Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, he added, “They want to turn this into resorts.”
Watch: Trump says he would be happy for Americans convicted of crimes to be imprisoned overseas
Palestinian American congresswoman accuses Trump of ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Palestinians
Democratic congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has condemned Donald Trump for his comments on “taking over” Gaza, accusing him of ethnic cleansing of the people.
“This president is openly calling for ethnic cleansing while sitting next to a genocidal war criminal,” she said on X.
“He’s perfectly fine cutting off working Americans from federal funds while the funding to the Israeli government continues flowing.”
Anthony Albanese says Australia will continue to support two-state solution in Gaza
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has doubled down on his support of the two-state solution in Gaza following Donald Trump’s shock comments of a possible “takeover” and “levelling” of the Palestinian enclave amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Mr Albanese refused to comment on Mr Trump’s remarks on Tuesday in a meeting alongside Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he said he saw the United States taking “a long-term ownership position” that would bring “great stability to the Middle East” region.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Mr Albanese said he doesn’t do “running commentary” when asked about the US president’s comments.
“[What] I would say is that Australia’s position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year, and it was 10 years ago, and it was under the Howard government,” Mr Albanese said.
He added that the government supports a two-state solution in Gaza which envisages Israeli and Palestinian states alongside each other.
“What we have said, though, clearly, we’ve supported a ceasefire. We’ve supported hostages being released. And we’ve supported aid getting into Gaza,” he said.
U.S. allies in Middle East react to Trump’s bizarre statement
Egypt, Jordan and other US allies in the Middle East have cautioned Donald Trump that relocating Palestinians from Gaza would threaten Mideast stability, risk expanding the conflict and undermine a decades-long push by the U.S. and allies for a two-state solution.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry issued a sharply worded reaction to Trump, noting their long call for an independent Palestinian state was a “firm, steadfast and unwavering position”. Saudi Arabia has been in negotiations with the U.S. over a deal to diplomatically recognize Israel in exchange for a security pact and other terms.
“The duty of the international community today is to work to alleviate the severe human suffering endured by the Palestinian people, who will remain committed to their land and will not budge from it,” the Saudi statement said.Still, Trump insists the Palestinians “have no alternative” but to leave the “big pile of rubble” that is Gaza.
He spoke out as his top aides stressed that a three-to-five-year timeline for reconstruction of the war-torn territory, as laid out in a temporary truce agreement, is not viable.
Last week, both Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Jordanian King Abdullah II dismissed Trump’s calls to resettle Gazans.
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Katie Hawkinson reports from Washington, D.C.
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USAID direct hires put on leave worldwide, except those deemed essential
The Trump administration is placing U.S. Agency for International Development direct-hire staffers around the world on leave, except those deemed essential.
A notice posted online Tuesday gives the workers 30 days to return home, upending the aid agency’s six-decade mission overseas.
Thousands of USAID employees already had been laid off and programs worldwide shut down after President Donald Trump imposed a sweeping freeze on foreign assistance.
Elon Musk’s budget-slashing Department of Government Efficiency had taken USAID’s website offline over the weekend as it steadily dismantled the agency, which has been a special target of Musk, Trump and Republicans in the first two-and-a-half weeks of Trump’s second term. The website came back online Tuesday night, with the notice of recall or termination for global staffers its sole post.
The move had been rumored for several days and was the most extreme of several proposals considered for consolidating the agency into the State Department. Other options had included closures of smaller USAID missions and partial closures of larger ones.
The decision to withdraw direct-hire staff and their families earlier than their planned departures will likely cost the government tens of millions of dollars in travel and relocation costs.
Staff being placed on leave include both foreign and civil service officers who have legal protection against arbitrary dismissal and being placed on leave without reason.
The American Foreign Service Association, the union which represents U.S. diplomats, sent a notice to its members denouncing the decision and saying it was preparing legal action to counter or halt it.
Locally employed USAID staff do not have much recourse and were excluded from the federal government’s voluntary buyout offer.
The notice says those who will exempted from leave include staffers responsible for “mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs” and would be informed by Thursday afternoon.
“Thank you for your service,” the notice concluded.
UN: US has frozen funding for the UN-backed mission to quell gangs in Haiti
The U.S. has notified the United Nations that it is freezing funding to a U.N.-backed mission in Haiti tasked with fighting gangs trying to seize full control of the country’s capital, the U.N. said Tuesday.
The U.S. has been the biggest contributor to the mission led by Kenyan police, which was launched last year and is struggling with a lack of funding and personnel. The halt will have an “immediate impact” on the mission, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
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Source: independent.co.uk