Trump suggests permanent resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza

President Trump on Tuesday suggested Palestinians should be permanently relocated out of Gaza, questioning why they would want to return after swaths of the territory was reduced to rubble after more than 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas.

Trump, who was alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a White House visit, doubled down on his suggestion that neighboring Jordan and Egypt take in those from Gaza. But Tuesday was the first time Trump was more clear about Palestinians not returning to their homes in the coastal enclave, even after it's been rebuilt.

"It would be my hope that we could do something really nice, really good, where they wouldn't want to return. Why would they want to return? The place has been hell,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

“I don't think people should be going back to Gaza,” he added. "Gaza is not a place for people to be living, and the only reason they want to go back, and I believe this strongly, is because they have no alternative…If they had an alternative, they'd much rather not go back to Gaza and live in a beautiful alternative that's safe.”

Trump’s comments are the farthest he has gone to date in suggesting Palestinians should be moved out of Gaza, which he referred to as a “demolition site.”

Trump was more vague when asked whether a Palestinian state was necessary to broker ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a key demand of the Kingdom. 

“They are demanding one thing. You know what it is? Peace."

U.S. policy across multiple administrations has consistently backed a two-state solution but Trump's remarks stand to put that in question along with efforts toward Palestinian sovereignty.

Arab leaders in the region have said efforts to displace Palestinians or move them into neighboring countries are a non-starter. Egypt and Jordan, countries with peace treaties with Israel, oppose absorbing Palestinians claiming it poses a security risk, is destabilizing, and threatens to provoke mass opposition.

Jordan already houses around 3 million Palestinians, many of whom have already been displaced by previous war.

Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and a senior Palestinian official wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week outlining their concerns.

“Not only will such a move be a clear violation of international law. It will be a threat to regional stability and security,” the ministers wrote. “Palestinians do not want to leave their land. We support their position unequivocally. Such a move will further compound the challenge of the refugees’ problem.”

Laura Kelly contributed.