Saudi Arabia mentioned it will not set up ties with Israel until a Palestinian state is created, taking pictures down U.S. President Donald Trump’s declare that the Saudis weren’t demanding a Palestinian homeland when he floated the thought of the U.S. authorities taking management of the Gaza Strip.
Trump mentioned on Tuesday at a joint press convention with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he needs the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas warfare, after Palestinians are resettled in different international locations.
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we’ll do a job with it, too,” Trump mentioned on the White Home. “We’ll personal it and be chargeable for dismantling the entire harmful, unexplored bombs and different weapons on the positioning.”
“Degree the positioning and eliminate the destroyed buildings, stage it out, create an financial improvement that can provide limitless numbers of jobs and housing for the individuals of the realm,” he mentioned. “Do an actual job. Do one thing totally different. Simply cannot return. When you return, it’ll find yourself the identical manner it has for 100 years.”
‘LEVEL IT’: TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE OVER’ GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) poses previous to a working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron on the Élysée Presidential Palace on June 16, 2023, in Paris, France. (Getty Photos)
Saudi Arabia’s international ministry mentioned in a press release on Wednesday that the nation rejects any makes an attempt to displace the Palestinians from their homeland, stressing that its place on the Palestinians is lower than negotiation.
The assertion famous that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has affirmed the dominion’s place in “a transparent and specific method” that doesn’t make different interpretations doable beneath any circumstances.
TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST ENVOY EXPLAINS GAZA TAKEOVER PROPOSAL: ‘MORE HOPE’ FOR PALESTINIANS’ FUTURES
Any proposed displacement of Palestinians, an concept Trump has advised a number of instances since retaking workplace final month, is a extremely delicate matter for each Palestinians and Arab international locations.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reply questions throughout a joint press convention within the East Room on the White Home in Washington, D.C., February 4, 2025. ( REUTERS/Leah Millis)
Trump mentioned on Jan. 25 that he needed Jordan, Egypt and different Arab nations to just accept extra Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip, doubtlessly transferring out sufficient individuals to “simply clear out” the realm.
“You’re speaking about most likely one million and a half individuals, and we simply clear out that complete factor and say, ‘, it’s over,'” he mentioned on the time.
Amid the Israel-Hamas warfare in Gaza, Palestinians feared they’d undergo from one other “Nakba,” which means disaster in Arabic, which refers back to the displacement and dispossession of lots of of hundreds of Palestinians throughout the 1948 warfare on the delivery of the State of Israel.
‘PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH’: TRUMP AND NETANYAHU EXPECTED TO DISCUSS IRAN, HAMAS AT WHITE HOUSE MEETING
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks throughout a joint press convention with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu within the East Room on the White Home in Washington, D.C., February 4, 2025. (REUTERS/Leah Millis)
The U.S. had led months of diplomacy to persuade Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel and acknowledge the Center Jap nation. However the warfare in Gaza, which started with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, assault on the Jewish State, prompted the Saudis to desert the matter amid Arab anger over Israel’s offensive.
Trump needs Saudi Arabia to comply with within the footsteps of nations together with the United Arab Emirates, a Center East commerce and enterprise hub, and Bahrain, which signed the Abraham Accords in 2020 and normalized ties with Israel.
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Saudi Arabia establishing ties with Israel can be a grand prize for the Jewish State as a result of the dominion has enormous affect within the Center East and the broader Muslim world, and it’s the world’s largest oil exporter.
Reuters contributed to this report.