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Netanyahu Calls Trump's Plan to Transfer Gazans 'Remarkable' and 'First Good Idea I've Heard' [1]

['Ben Samuels']

Date: 2025-02-06

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed support for U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to transfer Gaza's population to other countries, calling it a "remarkable idea" and the "the first good idea I've heard."

In an interview with Fox News overnight into Thursday, Netanyahu said that Trump's plan "will create a different future for everyone." He added, "the actual idea of allowing for Gazans who want to leave, to leave – what's wrong with that? They can relocate and come back."

Netanyahu did however reject the idea of U.S. troops being deployed to take control of Gaza, or Washington funding the reconstruction of the strip. "I don't think [the president] talked about sending U.S. troops to complete the job of destroying Hamas, that's our commitment, that's our job, and we're absolutely committed to it." He also said "I also don't think [the president] said that he's going to fund it.

On Iran, Netanyahu remarked, "it's common knowledge that most of the Arab countries have shifted from seeing Israel as their great enemy to seeing Iran as their great enemy. They recognize that Israel is the one country in the Middle East that fought Iran."

When asked if he was confident that "all living hostages will return," Netanyahu reiterated the three objectives of the war, the first of which, he said, is the destruction of Hamas. "So far, we've decimated most of Hamas's military power, not all of it. There's some left, and we'll make sure that it's not there when this war ends, and it could end very

quickly," he said.

Netanyahu also noted, "So far, we've freed about 70 percent, more than that actually, of the living hostages, and we're committed to getting everyone out."

Open gallery view Netanyahu and Trump in the White House on Tuesday. Credit: Elizabeth Frantz/ REUTERS

He emphasized the government's intention to retrieve both living and deceased hostages, saying, "We intend to commit to do that.

I won't talk here how we intend to do it, but it's something that is in my mind and also on the president's mind."

Meanwhile, Israel's Defense Minster Israel Katz announced he had instructed the IDF "to prepare a plan that would enable Gaza residents to leave for any country willing to receive them." According to Katz, the plan will include "exit options through land crossings as well as special arrangements for sea and air departures."

Katz stated he "welcomes President Donald Trump's bold plan, which could create broad opportunities for the voluntary departure of Gaza's population and assist their optimal integration into host countries."

Trump's plan for Gaza's future reportedly involves relocating its population to other Middle Eastern countries and U.S. control over the strip. Trump claimed the U.S. would do "a good job" there. When asked if Washington would send troops to Gaza, Trump replied that the U.S. would do "if it's necessary, we'll do that." He added, "We're gonna take over that piece and develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs."

Saudi Arabia condemned Trump's comments, stating it "rejects any attempt to uproot Palestinians from their land." The Saudi Foreign Ministry clarified that the kingdom would not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state.

Egypt, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority also condemned Trump's remarks. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rushed to Amman, where King Abdullah spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatar's Emir. Senior officials in Cairo also engaged in urgent discussions with their counterparts in Amman, reportedly considering an emergency summit and the formation of a coalition against Trump's plan.

[END]
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[1] Url: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-02-06/ty-article/netanyahu-calls-trumps-plan-to-transfer-gazans-remarkable-first-good-idea-ive-heard/00000194-da35-df08-a3bc-de3d685c0000

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