Netanyahu endorses Trump’s Gaza plan: ‘First good idea I’ve heard’

"It's a remarkable idea and I think that it should be really pursued, examined, pursued and done, because I think it will create a different future for everyone." 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday called U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza resettlement proposal a “remarkable idea.”

In an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, the premier clarified that Trump had not suggested deploying U.S. troops to destroy Hamas, or funding the initiative himself. Netanyahu emphasized that the responsibility for eliminating the terrorist group rests with Israel, and said that wealthy neighboring states would finance any relocation efforts.

“The actual idea of allowing for Gazans who want to leave to leave, I mean, what’s wrong with that? They can leave, they can come back. They can relocate and come back. But you have to rebuild Gaza,” the prime minister stated.

“This is the first good idea I’ve heard. It’s a remarkable idea and I think that it should be really pursued, examined, pursued and done, because I think it will create a different future for everyone,” he continued.

Trump on Tuesday suggested permanently resettling roughly 1.8 million Gazans, as he hosted Netanyahu at the White House.

The proposal drew criticism from Palestinians, including Hamas, as well as Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later clarified that any relocation would be temporary, to facilitate rebuilding efforts.

On his first foreign trip as top U.S. diplomat, Rubio defended Trump’s plan as a humanitarian initiative, calling it a “very generous” offer to aid in debris removal and reconstruction following 15 months of heavy fighting between Israel and Hamas.

“In the interim, obviously, people are going to have to live somewhere while you’re rebuilding it,” Rubio said during a news conference in Guatemala City.

JNS - Jewish News Syndicate