'US will take over the Gaza Strip’: Trump

By Servet Gunerigok and Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the "US will take over the Gaza Strip," shortly after suggesting a permanent resettlement of Palestinians outside Gaza.

"The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too," he said during a news 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, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area," Trump said.

Earlier, during a sit-down with Netanyahu at the Oval Office, Trump said he thinks Jordan and Egypt will take in Palestinians from Gaza, maintaining that the enclave is a demolition site and uninhabitable.

"I know they've spoken about it with you, and they say they're not going to accept. I say they will, but I think other countries will accept also," he said.

"So I don't think people should be going back to Gaza. I think that Gaza has been very unlucky for them. They've lived like hell. They lived like you're living in hell. Gaza is not a place for people to be living, and the only reason they want to go back, and I believe that strongly, is because they have no alternative. What's the alternative to where there's no other alternative? If they had an alternative, they'd much rather not go back to Gaza and live in a beautiful alternative that's safe," he added.