February 4, 2025
Trump Unveils Plan for U.S. Takeover of Gaza
In President Donald Trump’s first meeting at the White House with a foreign leader in his second term, he welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and announced his intention to take U.S. ownership of the Gaza Strip, emptying it of nearly 2 million Palestinian residents and redeveloping it into what he termed “the Riviera of the Middle East.” The same day, he withdrew the United States from the U.N. Human Rights Council, cut off funds to the U.N Relief and Works Agency, and reimposed maximum pressure sanctions on Iran. Both leaders stood committed never to allow Iran to have nuclear weapons. Netanyahu reaffirmed his insistence that the war will not end until Hamas is gone from Gaza. In addition, both leaders expressed optimism about expanding the Abraham Accords, including Saudi Arabia, along with confidence that all of the hostages will be freed. Since his first term as prime minister in 1996, this was Netanyahu’s 18th White House visit.
Media Availability Before Their Meeting
Trump and Netanyahu take questions from reporters for about 15 minutes.
Reporter: Mr. President, if you manage to get this deal done, some say, a lot of people say that the man who manages to do that will get a Nobel Peace Prize. Do you think you’ll be able to get all the hostages back home? And what will happen if you hear from —
Trump: They will never give me a Nobel Peace Prize. It’s too bad. I deserve it, but they will never give it to me.
Reporter: What needs to happen for normalization with Saudi Arabia?
Trump: Well, we’re going to see, and we’re dealing with a lot of people. And we have steps to go yet, as you know, and maybe those steps go forward, and maybe they don’t. We’re dealing with a very complex group of people, situation and people. But we have the right man. We have the right leader of Israel. He’s done a great job, and we’ve been friends for a long time. And we do a great job also. And I think we have a combination that’s very unbeatable actually. …
Reporter: Mr. President, what would happen if you heard from the Israeli side today that they’re not willing to go through with the deal to get all the hostages if they haven’t finished the war?
Trump: We’ll see what happens. Whatever happens, we’ll be prepared to handle the situation.
Reporter: Are the Saudis demanding a Palestinian state?
Trump: No.
Reporter: Are the Saudis demanding a Palestinian state?
Trump: No, they’re not. Nope.
Reporter: Are they demanding a path towards a Palestinian state or any other recognition?
Trump: Everybody’s demanding one thing. You know what it is? Peace. We want peace. We want people to stop being killed. But everybody’s demanding one thing. Very simple, peace. And he wants peace also.
Reporter: Mr. President, do you think it’s politically impossible in Israel to get this deal done until the end?
Trump: To get the deal done?
Reporter: Yeah.
Trump: Sure. Why wouldn’t a deal get done? A deal can get done. We’ll see what happens. We’re dealing with very complicated people. But a deal can absolutely get done.
Reporter: Will you allow an Israeli strike on Iran?
Trump: We’ll see what happens.
Reporter: President Trump, I have one for Prime Minister Netanyahu. We’ve heard Joe Biden and Donald Trump take credit for the hostage and cease-fire deal. Who do you think deserves more credit?
Netanyahu: I think President Trump added great force and powerful leadership to this effort. I appreciate it. He sent a very good emissary. He’s helped it along. And, you know, I’ll just tell you: I’m happy that they’re here. And I’m sure the president is happy that they’re here. And I would think that’s about enough.
Reporter: What about Elizabeth Tsurkov, the Israeli hostage held in Iraq?
Netanyahu: What about the Israeli press taking a press conference in Israel and not in Washington?
Reporter: We would love to take a press conference in Israel.
Reporter: I have a question for Prime Minister Netanyahu. Do you support going forward with this deal and getting all the hostages out?
Netanyahu: I support getting all the hostages out and meeting all our war goals. That includes destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and making sure that Gaza never poses a threat to Israel again. All three.
Reporter: Do those three things go together?
Reporter: Are you willing to promise the families that you’re going to get the hostages out?
Netanyahu: I think that I should talk to President Trump, OK?
Reporter: I’ll ask. Do you agree with Trump’s vision of getting all the hostages back home even if it means to end the war?
Netanyahu: Well, I’m not sure that you articulate correctly what the president’s vision is. You can ask. He can speak for himself. He does that very, very well. I have my own views, three goals. Not one, not two, three goals. And I will meet all three goals. I think the president can help enormously. He brings fresh thinking. Fresh thinking.
Reporter: Any regret on terrorists who murdered hundreds of Israelis being released to their home as part of the deal?
Trump: It’s a horrible thing. We can’t forget it. I’ll never forget it, and you can’t forget it. And some people want to put it out of their memory, but we’re not going to ever let that happen. It was a horrible day, October 7th. That was a horrible, that was a horrible period of time. And a lot of people like to pretend it didn’t happen. It happened. It’s a big group of people that like to pretend it didn’t happen. Like the Holocaust didn’t happen. Same mindset. No, we’re going to get this thing wrapped up, and we’re going to get it done.
We’re also dealing, I think, very successfully with Russia-Ukraine. We’re going to hopefully get that one done at some point in the not-too-distant future. That’s a complex problem also. But we solve problems. You know, when I left, we had no problem. There was no Ukraine and Russia fighting. There was no October 7th. There was nothing. Some very poor leadership led to a lot of problems and a lot of death. And it’s a shame, but we’ll put it out. We’ll put out the fires. We have a lot of fires, but we’ll put them out.
Reporter: Mr. President, do you still support the Palestinian state, like the peace plan you presented in January 2020? Is this plan still on the table?
Trump: Well, a lot of plans change with time, and a lot of death has occurred since I left and now came back. This death occurred not while I was here, but while somebody else was here. It shouldn’t have happened. They shouldn’t have allowed it to happen. It would have never happened, and that includes Russia-Ukraine would have never happened. Not even a little bit, not even a chance. But now we are faced with a situation that’s different, in some ways better and in some ways worse.
But we’re faced with a very complex and difficult situation, but we’ll solve it. We’ll solve the problem.
Reporter: Mr. President, if not Jordan or Egypt, what other countries might accept Palestinians from Gaza?
Trump: Well, I think Jordan and Egypt will. 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. I think that Gaza maybe is a demolition site right now. If you look at Gaza, it’s all — I mean, there’s hardly a building standing, and the ones that are going to collapse. You can’t live in Gaza right now. And I think we need another location. I think it should be a location that’s going to make people happy.
You look over the decades. It’s all death in Gaza. This has been happening for years. It’s all death. If we can get a beautiful area to resettle people permanently in nice homes and where they can be happy and not be shot, not be killed, not be knifed to death like what’s happening in Gaza. And right now you have in Gaza a very dangerous situation in terms of explosives all over the place. In terms of tunnels that nobody knows who’s in the tunnel. The whole thing is a mess. And I think that if we can resettle, and I believe we can do it in areas where the leaders currently say no. I mean, I’ve been saying that with Mexico having to do with the border and all of the things, and you saw what happened: 10,000 soldiers, and they’re going to do a good job. I really believe that. And I believe Canada’s going to do a good job also. They said the same thing, and then they did something much different than what you were hearing.
This is a very, very difficult situation, but we’re going to get it solved. I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza. I think that Gaza’s 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 this strongly, is because they have no alternative. What’s the alternative? Go 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.
Reporter: Would Palestinians have the right to return to Gaza if they left while the rebuilding was happening?
Trump: 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.
Reporter: But it’s their home, sir.
Trump: It’s been one of the meanest, one of the meanest, toughest places on Earth.
Reporter: Why should they leave?
Trump: And right now, it’s, I’ve seen every picture from every angle, better than if I were there, and nobody can live there. You can’t live there. So if we can build them, through massive amounts of money supplied by other people, very rich nations, and they’re willing to supply it, if we can build something for them in one of the countries, and it could be Jordan, and it could be Egypt, it could be other countries, and you could build four or five or six areas. It doesn’t have to be one area. But you take certain areas, and you build really good, quality housing, like a beautiful town, like some place where they could live and not die. Because Gaza’s a guarantee that they’re going to end up dying. The same thing’s going to happen again. It’s happened over and over again, and it’s going to happen again, as sure as you’re standing there, Peter [Doocy, Fox News reporter who asked about Palestinians returning after reconstruction]. So I hope that we could do something where they wouldn’t want to go back. Who would want to go back? They’ve experienced nothing but death and destruction.
Reporter: If Egypt and Jordan tell you no, what will you do then?
Trump: Well, I don’t think they’re going to tell me no. I think they’re going to tell Biden no, and I think they’re going to tell other people no.
Reporter: So you think it will happen, again.
Trump: I think there’s a good chance.
Reporter: How many of the people are you thinking about?
Trump: All of them. And then we’re talking about probably a million-seven [1.7 million] people, million-seven, maybe a million-eight. But I think all of them. I think they’ll be resettled in areas where they can live a beautiful life and not be worried about dying every day.
Reporter: Mr. President, do you support building settlements, Israeli settlements, back in Gaza next year?
Trump: I don’t see it happening. It’s too dangerous for people. Nobody can go there. It’s too dangerous. Nobody wants to be there. Warriors don’t want to be there. Soldiers don’t want to be there. How can you have people go back? You’re saying go back into Gaza now? The same thing’s going to happen. It’ll only be death. The best way to do it is you go out, and you get beautiful, open areas with the sunlight coming through, and you build something nice.
Reporter: So you don’t support Israelis going back to Gaza?
Trump: They are not going to want to go back to Gaza.
Reporter: Prime Minister Netanyahu, what is your message to the families of the hostages who look at this deal, and they’re worried that the deal won’t go through? What do you say to them at this moment?
Netanyahu: Same message I said from the beginning of the war. We’ll get them out. We’ll get them back. We got over 70%, close to 75%, of the people who everybody believed we will not get out. We got them in successive deals, and most recently with the help of President Trump. We’re not going to give up on any of them, and we’re not going to give up on our other war aims. Hamas is not going to be in Gaza. And we’re going to get everyone back.
Trump: And you would not have —
Reporter: How optimistic are you about reaching Phase 2 of the cease-fire? How optimistic are you about that happening?
Netanyahu: Well, we’re going to try. That’s one of the reasons, one of the things we’re going to talk about here. You know, when Israel and the United States work together, and President Trump and I work together, you know the chances go up. It’s when we don’t work together, Israel and the United States don’t work together, that creates problems. When the other side sees daylight between us, and occasionally in the last few years, to put it mildly, they saw daylight. Then it’s more difficult. When we cooperate, chances are good.
Reporter: Now that Iran is so weak, isn’t it the right time to hit their nuclear facilities once and for all?
Trump: So you say Iran is so weak. I appreciate your saying that. They’re not weak. They’re very strong right now. And we’re not going to allow them to have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple. You know, I signed a very strong proclamation. Iran was in big trouble when I left. They were broke. They didn’t have money for Hamas. They didn’t have any money for Hezbollah. You had no problem. October 7th could have never happened. When I left, October 7th could have never happened. And frankly, Russia and Ukraine, as I said, could never have happened. They became very strong very fast. They sold massive amounts of oil to China and everybody else, who would not buy the oil when I was president because we said don’t buy the oil. And they became very rich very quickly.
But they’re not weak. They’re not weak. They’re strong. Doesn’t mean they won’t be weak, but you know what? We just don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon. They can’t have a nuclear weapon.
Reporter: But, sir, the prime minister wants you to strike Iran. That’s what he wants.
Trump: You don’t know what he wants. What do you know about anything?
Reporter: But is that option on the table? President Trump, is that option on the table?
Reporter: When you’re talking about new areas for Gazans, you’re not just talking about Jordan and Egypt.
Trump: No, could be other places too. There are many people that have reached out, many countries, many leaders of countries that have reached out that would like to participate in that. Doesn’t have to be Jordan and Egypt, but I think it would be also them.
Reporter: Mr. President, your relationship with Mr. Netanyahu has ups and downs. How would you describe it?
Trump: No, I think it’s mostly ups.
Reporter: Mr. President, what about the Palestinian Authority? Should it rule Gaza because Gaza will be empty?
Trump: What?
Reporter: The Palestinian Authority, can it rule Gaza? What do you think?
Trump: Well, it’s had a pretty hard time, wouldn’t you say? I’d say it’s had a pretty bad time of it.
Reporter: Mr. President, Qatar, you’ve criticized it in the past as a funder of terrorism. So has the prime minister. Do you think they’re part of the solution or part of the problem moving forward?
Trump: I think they’re trying to help. Qatar?
Reporter: Yes.
Trump: Is absolutely trying to help. I know them very well, and they’re doing everything they can. Very tough situation, but they’re absolutely trying to help. OK. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you.
Trump and Netanyahu Joint News Conference
The president and prime minister hold a formal press conference starting before 7 p.m. and running about 40 minutes.
Trump: Thank you very much. That’s a lot of press. Congratulations. You bring them out. You really bring them out. Today I’m delighted to welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu back to the White House. It’s a wonderful feeling and a wonderful event. We had fantastic talks. And thank you very much with your staff. He’s the first foreign head of state to visit during our administration, and, Bibi, I want to say it’s an honor to have you with us. Over the past four years the U.S. and the Israeli alliance has been tested more than any time in history. But the bonds of friendship and affection between the American and Israeli people have endured for generations, and they are absolutely unbreakable. They are unbreakable. I’m confident that under our leadership, the cherished alliance between our two countries will soon be stronger than ever. We had a great relationship. We had great victories together four years ago. Not so many victories over the past four years, however. In my first term, prime minister and I forged a tremendously successful partnership that brought peace and stability to the Middle East like it hadn’t seen in decades. Together we defeated ISIS. We ended the disastrous Iran nuclear deal, one of the worst deals ever made, by the way, and imposed the toughest-ever sanctions on the Iranian regime. We starved Hamas and Iran’s other terrorist proxies, and we starved them like they had never seen before. Resources and support disappeared for them. I recognized Israel’s capital, opened the American Embassy in Jerusalem and got it built, by the way, built it too, not only designated it, but got it built at a price that nobody’s seen for 40 years. We got it built. It’s beautiful, all Jerusalem stone right from nearby, and it’s something that’s very special. And recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, something that they talked about for 70 years, and they weren’t able to get it, and I got it. And with the historic Abraham Accords, something that was really an achievement that was, I think, going to become more and more important because we achieved the most significant Middle East peace agreements in half a century, but the Abraham Accords in particular, and I really believe that many countries will soon be joining this amazing peace and economic development transaction. It really is a big economic development transaction. I think we’re going to have a lot of people signing up very quickly. Unfortunately for four years, nobody signed up. Nobody did anything for four years except in the negative. Unfortunately, the weakness and incompetence of those years, those past four years, the grave damage around the globe that was done, including in the Middle East, grave damage all over the globe. The horrors of October 7th would never have happened if I were president. The Ukraine and Russia disaster would never have happened if I were president.
Over the past 16 months, Israel has endured a sustained, aggressive and murderous assault on every front, but they fought back bravely. You see that, and you know that. What we have witnessed is an all-out attack on the very existence of a Jewish state in the Jewish homeland. The Israelis have stood strong and united in the face of an enemy that has kidnapped, tortured, raped and slaughtered innocent men, women, children and even little babies. I want to salute the Israeli people for meeting this trial with courage and determination and unflinching resolve. They have been strong.
In our meetings today, the prime minister and I focused on the future, discussing how we can work together to ensure Hamas is eliminated and ultimately restore peace to a very troubled region. It’s been troubled, but what’s happened in the last four years has not been good. I want to thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for working closely with my transition team, the special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who’s here somewhere. Steve, stand up, Steve, please. What a job you’ve done. What a good job you’ve done. Proud of you. You’ve done a fantastic job. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. Thank you, Mike, for working so well with us. Thank you. We have in addition [Secretary of State] Marco Rubio, who is on the phone right now, listening to every single word that we say, and he’s going to be great, and Pete [Hegseth, defense secretary], congratulations, and Scott [Bessent, Treasury secretary], congratulations, I see you’re here. And Karoline’s [Leavitt, press secretary] been doing a great job. She’s really probably talked about more than anybody here. She’s done a fantastic job, and thank you very much, Karoline. We’re proud of you.
But we’ll only be satisfied when all of these problems are solved, and we have the team to solve them, and that’s going to happen, and it’s going to happen, I think, very quickly. I also strongly believe that the Gaza Strip, which has been a symbol of death and destruction for so many decades and so bad for the people anywhere near it and especially those who live there and frankly who’s been really very unlucky. It’s been very unlucky. It’s been an unlucky place for a long time. Being in its presence just has not been good, and it should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have really stood there and fought for it and lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there. Instead, we should go to other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts, and there are many of them that want to do this and build various domains that will ultimately be occupied by the 1.8 million Palestinians living in Gaza, ending the death and destruction and frankly bad luck. This could be paid for by neighboring countries of great wealth. It could be one, two, three, four, five, seven, eight, 12. It could be numerous sites, or it could be one large site. But the people will be able to live in comfort and peace, and we’ll make sure something really spectacular is done. They’re going to have peace. They’re not going to be shot at and killed and destroyed like this civilization of wonderful people has had to endure.
The only reason the Palestinians want to go back to Gaza is they have no alternative. It’s right now a demolition site. This is just a demolition site. Virtually every building is down. They’re living under fallen concrete that’s very dangerous and very precarious. They instead can occupy all of a beautiful area with homes and safety, and they can live out their lives in peace and harmony instead of having to go back and do it again.
The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. 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, do a real job, do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for a hundred years.
I’m hopeful that this cease-fire could be the beginning of a larger and more enduring peace that will end the bloodshed and killing once and for all. With the same goal in mind, my administration has been moving quickly to restore trust in the alliance and rebuild American strength throughout the region, and we’ve really done that. We’re a respected nation again. A lot’s happened in the last couple of weeks. We are actually a very respected nation again.
I ended the last administration’s de facto arms embargo on over $1 billion in military assistance for Israel, and I’m also pleased to announce that this afternoon the United States withdrew from the antisemitic U.N. Human Rights Council and ended all of the support for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which funneled money to Hamas and which was very disloyal to humanity. Today I also took action to restore our maximum pressure policy on the Iranian regime, and we will once again enforce the most aggressive possible sanctions, drive Iranian oil exports to zero, and diminish the regime’s capacity to fund terror throughout the region and throughout the world. We had no threat when I left office. Iran was not able to sell oil. Nobody was buying oil because I said don’t buy it. If you buy it, you’re not doing any business with the United States. And Hamas was not being funded. Hezbollah was not being funded. Nobody was being funded. There would never have been an October 7th.
Two weeks ago I once again designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization. They’re trying to destroy world shipping lanes, and that’s not going to happen. And over the weekend I ordered airstrikes against senior ISIS leaders hiding in the caves of Somalia and took them out.
Here in America we’ve begun the process of deporting foreign terrorists, jihadists and Hamas sympathizers from our soil just as we have people that are extremely evil, and we’re sending them out of our country. They came from jails. They came from mental institutions and insane asylums, and they were dumped into our country. They’re gang members. And we’re getting them out at numbers that nobody can actually believe, and every single country is taking those people back. They said they would never take them back, and they’re all taking them back, and they’re taking them back very gladly.
And I recently signed an executive order combating the vile wave of antisemitism that we’ve seen in the aftermath of the October 7th attacks. Together, America and Israel will renew the optimism that shined so brightly just four years ago. It was really a bright, beautiful light. We will restore calm and stability to the region and expand prosperity, opportunity and hope to our nations and for all people of the Middle East, including the Arab and Muslim nations, very important. We want the Arab and Muslim nations to have peace and have tranquility and have great lives.
I’d like to now invite Prime Minister Netanyahu to say a few words, and we’ll take some questions afterwards. Thank you very much.
Netanyahu: Thank you, Mr. President. I’m honored that you invited me to be the first foreign leader to visit the White House in your second term. This is a testament to your friendship and support for the Jewish state and the Jewish people. I’ve said this before; I’ll say it again: You are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House. And that’s why the people of Israel have such enormous respect for you. In your first term you recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. You moved the American Embassy there. You recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. You withdrew from the disastrous Iran nuclear deal. I remember we spoke about it, and you said, “This is the worst deal I’ve ever seen. I’m elected. I’m walking out of it.” That’s exactly what you did, and I think it speaks loudly for just common sense, just looking at things and seeing them as they are.
And of course you also brokered the groundbreaking Abraham Accords, in which Israel made peace with four Arab states. We did this in four months. Nothing happened for a quarter of a century, but in four months we were able, working together under your leadership, to have four historic peace accords. And now, now in the first days of your second term, you picked up right where you left off. Your leadership helped bring our hostages home, among them American citizens. You freed up munitions that have been withheld from Israel. They had been withheld from Israel in the midst of a seven-front war for our existence. And you just freed them. You ended unjust sanctions against law-abiding Israeli citizens. You boldly confronted the scourge of antisemitism. You stopped funding, as you just said, international organizations like UNRWA that support and fund terrorists. And today you renewed the maximum pressure campaign against Iran. Ladies and gentlemen, all this in just two weeks. Can we imagine where we’ll be in four years? I can. I know you can, Mr. President.
For our part, we in Israel have been pretty busy too. Since the horrendous October 7th attack, we’ve been fighting our common enemies and changing the face of the Middle East. On that infamous day, Hamas monsters savagely murdered 1,200 innocent people, including more than 40 Americans. They beheaded men. They raped women. They burnt babies alive. And they took 251 people hostage to the dungeons of Gaza. And after this worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust, Iran and its henchmen in the Middle East were absolutely ecstatic. Haniyeh praised the massacre. Sinwar said that Israel was finished. Nasrallah boasted that Israel was, here’s what he said, “as feeble as a spider’s web.”
Well, Mr. President, Haniyeh is gone. Sinwar is gone. Nasrallah is gone. We’ve devastated Hamas. We decimated Hezbollah. We destroyed Assad’s remaining armaments. And we crippled Iran’s air defenses. And in doing this, we’ve defeated some of America’s worst enemies. We took out terrorists who were wanted for decades for shedding rivers of American blood, including the blood of 241 Marines murdered in Beirut.
We accomplished all this with the indomitable spirit of our people and the boundless courage of our soldiers. The Bible says that the people of Israel shall rise like lions, and, boy, did we rise. Today the roar of the Lion of Judah is heard loudly throughout the Middle East. Israel has never been stronger, and the Iran terror axis has never been weaker. But as we discussed, Mr. President, to secure our future and bring peace to our region, we have to finish the job.
In Gaza, Israel has three goals: destroy Hamas’ military and governing capabilities, secure the release of all of our hostages, and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel. I believe, Mr. President, that your willingness to puncture conventional thinking, thinking that has failed time and time and time again, your willingness to think outside the box with fresh ideas will help us achieve all these goals. And I’ve seen you do this many times. You cut to the chase. You see things others refuse to see. You say things others refuse to say, and after the jaws drop, people scratch their heads, and they say, “You know, he’s right.”
And this is the kind of thinking that enabled us to bring the Abraham Accords. This is the kind of thinking that will reshape the Middle East and bring peace. We also see eye to eye on Iran. That’s the same Iran that tried to kill us both. They tried to kill you, Mr. President. They tried through their proxies to kill me. We’re both committed to rolling back Iran’s aggression in the region and ensuring that Iran never develops a nuclear weapon.
Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, Israel will end the war by winning the war. Israel’s victory will be America’s victory. We will not only win the war. Working together, we will win the peace. With your leadership, Mr. President, and our partnership, I believe that we will forge a brilliant future for our region and bring our great alliance to even greater heights. Thank you.
Trump: Thank you very much, Bibi. Very nice. Thank you. JD Vance, everybody. JD, please, vice president, stand up. He’s been doing a good job. He’s been working very hard on all things, but this in particular. We’ll take some questions please. Yes, ma’am, go ahead, please. Go ahead. Yeah, go ahead.
Reporter: Mr. President, can a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia be achieved without the acknowledgment of a Palestinian state? That question’s for you, too, Mr. Prime Minister. And, Mr. President, given what you’ve said about Gaza, should the U.S. send troops to help secure the security vacuum?
Trump: So Saudi Arabia is going to be very helpful, and they have been very helpful. They want peace in the Middle East. It’s very simple. We know their leader and their leaders very well. They’re wonderful people, and they want peace in the Middle East. As far as Gaza is concerned, we’ll do what is necessary. If it’s necessary, we’ll do that. We’re going to take over that piece, and we’re going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs. And it’ll be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of. But everybody feels that continuing the same process that’s gone on forever, over and over again, and then it starts and then the killing starts and all of the other problems start, and you end up in the same place, and we don’t want to see that happen. So by the United States, with its stability and strength, owning it, especially the strength that we’re developing and developed over the last fairly short period of time, I would say really since the election, I think we’ll be a great keeper of something that is very, very strong, very powerful, and very, very good for the area, not just for Israel, for the entire Middle East, very important. And we’ll again have thousands of jobs, and they’ll be jobs for everyone, not for a specific group of people, but for everybody. OK, please.
Netanyahu: I think peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia is not only feasible; I think it’s going to happen. I think if we had another half a year in your first term, it would have already happened.
Trump: It’s true. Many, many more. I agree. Many more nations.
Netanyahu: I think you can’t prejudge and pre-guess how we’ll achieve it, but I’m committed to achieving it. I know the president is committed to achieving it, and I think the Saudi leadership is interested to achieve it. So we’ll give it a good shot, and I think we’ll succeed.
Trump: Yeah, please, go ahead.
Reporter: First of all, President Trump, did you hear from Prime Minister Netanyahu during your meeting guarantees that the cease-fire will go, including Phase 2? And Prime Minister Netanyahu, why are you refusing to set up a national commission to investigate the failures of October 7th?
Trump: Well, I can’t tell you whether or not the cease-fire will hold. We’ve done, I think, a very masterful job, and we weren’t helped very much by the Biden administration, I can tell you that. But we’ve gotten quite a few hostages out. We’re going to get more out, but we’re dealing with very complex people, and we are going to see whether or not it holds. We certainly want to have more come out. They’ve come out damaged in many ways, damaged, very damaged people. But they’re going to get better, and they’re going to be strong, and they’re going to have a good life, and we hope to get as many as possible out. Whether or not it holds, I don’t know. We hope it holds. We hope it holds.
Netanyahu: I think at the appropriate time which I think will enable us to really investigate what happened, what were the causes of the failures, by an independent commission that will be accepted by the majority of the people. We don’t want it accepted by one-half of the people and not the other. I think we should have it. And we should find out exactly what happened. I’m insisting on it. And, believe me, it will surprise a lot of people when it happens.
Trump: Kelly [O’Donnell]. Kelly, go ahead.
Reporter: Mr. President, you are out lining something tonight that is really quite striking. You are talking about — thank you, Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister. You are talking tonight about the United States taking over a sovereign territory. What authority would allow you to do that? Are you talking about a permanent occupation there? Redevelopment? And, Mr. Prime Minister, do you see this idea as a way to expand the boundaries of Israel and to have a longer peace, even though the Israeli people know how important that land is to you and your citizens just as the space is inherited by the Palestinians as well?
Trump: I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East and maybe the entire Middle East, and everybody I’ve spoken to — this was not a decision made lightly — everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent in a really magnificent area that nobody would know. Nobody can look because all they see is death and destruction and rubble and demolished buildings falling all over. It’s just a terrible, terrible sight. I’ve studied it. I’ve studied this very closely over a lot of months, and I’ve seen it from every different angle. And it’s a very, very dangerous place to be, and it’s only going to get worse. And I think this is an idea that’s gotten tremendous, and I’m talking about from the highest level of leadership, gotten tremendous praise. And if the United States can help to bring stability and peace in the Middle East, we’ll do that. Bibi?
Netanyahu: I mentioned again tonight our three goals, and the third goal is to make sure that Gaza never poses a threat to Israel again. President Trump is taking it to a much higher level. He sees a different, he sees a different future for that piece of land that has been the focus of so much terrorism, so much, so many attacks against us. So many, so many trials and so many tribulations. He has a different idea. And I think it’s worth paying attention to this. We’re talking about it. He’s exploring it with his people, with his staff. I think it’s something that could change history, and it’s worthwhile really pursuing this avenue.
Trump: Yeah, please, go ahead. Go ahead.
Reporter: President Trump, a question for you. Before rebuilding Gaza again, obviously you’ll take out all the hostages, and one of them is Edan Alexander, an American soldier who is alive. How will you be assured that you’ll take out all the hostages and then rebuild?
Trump: We are working very hard to get out all the hostages. The word is all, and we are working very hard. So far it’s been moving along fairly rapidly, pretty much on schedule. I’d love to have them all out at one time, but we’re taking them out, and tomorrow more are being released, and over the days more. And then we’ll go into a Phase 2. But we’d like to get all of the hostages, and if we don’t, it will just make us somewhat more violent, I will tell you that, because they would have broken their word. Mr. Witkoff and his entire group have been working 24 hours around the clock, and they want them out, and promises have been made to them, and we’ll see whether or not those promises will be kept. But we want all the hostages. That’s right.
Reporter: How much time do you think it will take?
Reporter: Mr. President, do you support Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, areas which many believe are the biblical homeland of the Jewish people?
Trump: Well, we’re discussing that with many of your representatives. You’re represented very well, and people do like the idea, but we haven’t taken a position on it yet, but we will be. We’ll be making an announcement probably on that very specific topic over the next four weeks. Go ahead, please.
Reporter: Thank you so much, Mr. President. You just said that you think all the Palestinians should be relocated to other countries. Does that mean that you do not support a two-state solution?
Trump: It doesn’t mean anything about a two-state or a one-state or any other state. It means that we want to have, we want to give people a chance at life. They have never had a chance at life because the Gaza Strip has been a hellhole for people living there. It’s been horrible. Hamas has made it so bad, so bad, so dangerous, so unfair to people. And by doing what I’m recommending that we do, it’s a very strong recommendation, but it is a strong recommendation. By doing that, we think we’re going to bring perhaps great peace to long beyond this area, and I have to stress this is not for Israel. This is for everybody in the Middle East, Arabs, Muslims. This is for everybody. This would be where they could partake in terms of jobs and living and all of the other benefits, and I think it’s very important. It just doesn’t work the other way. You know, you can’t keep trying. They just have been going along for so many decades, you can’t even count. You just can’t keep doing. You have to learn from history. You can’t keep doing the same mistake over and over again. Gaza is a hellhole right now. It was before the bombing started, frankly, and we’re going to give people a chance to live in a beautiful community that’s safe and secure, and I think you’re going to see tremendous, a tremendous outflowing of support. I can tell you I spoke to other leaders of countries in the Middle East, and they love the idea. They say it would really bring stability, and what we need is stability. Yes, sir, please. Go ahead.
Reporter: Thank you. Are you still committed to imposing sanctions on the ICC despite the move being stalled in the Senate? And, please, a question for the Prime Minister as well. The president has been very clear about his desire to achieve a deal with Saudi Arabia. How do you settle this if Israel is required to renew the war against Hamas in the future?
Trump: Go ahead, Bibi.
Netanyahu: I think everybody understands that just as the president fought and defeated al-Qaeda and ISIS, that we can’t leave Hamas there because Hamas will continue the battle to destroy Israel. They’ll do — you know, in this temporary cease-fire, one of their leaders comes out. You know what he says? “We’re going to do October 7th again. Except we’ll do it bigger.” So obviously you can’t talk about peace, neither with Hamas or in the Middle East, if this, you know, toxic and murderous organization is left standing, any more than you could make peace in Europe after World War II if the Nazi regime was left standing and the Nazi army was left standing. You want a different future? You’ve got to knock out the people who want to destroy you and destroy peace. That’s what we’re going to do. I think that will also bring, usher in actually, the peace with Saudi Arabia and with others, and I think there will be others too.
Trump: Yes, ma’am, go ahead.
Reporter: Mr. President, I’m from Afghanistan. … Afghan women have high expectation from you. Do you have any plans to change Afghanistan’s situation? Are you able to recognize Taliban? Because I’m an Afghan journalist, Afghan woman. Any comment about Afghanistan? What’s your future plans for Afghan people?
Trump: I have a little hard time understanding you. Where are you from?
Reporter: Afghanistan.
Trump: No, actually it’s a beautiful voice and a beautiful accent. The only problem is I can’t understand a word you’re saying. But I just say this: Good luck, live in peace. Go ahead, please. That’s OK, yeah, please.
Reporter: You said earlier today that it was tough for you to implement these sanctions on Iran. But you did indicate that you were willing to negotiate with them. What would that look like, and are you in conversations with them, and the same for the prime minister.
Trump: I hated doing it. I want Iran to be peaceful and successful. I hated doing it. I did it once before, and we brought them down to a level where they were unable to give any money. They had to survive themselves, and they had no money. They were essentially broke, and they had no money for, as I said, Hezbollah. They had no money for Hamas. They had no money for any form of terror, the 28, if you call it, the 28 sites of terror, they had no money for any of it. They had to do their own and focus on their own well-being, and I hated to do it then and I hated, I hate to do it just as much now.
And I say this, and I say this to Iran who’s listening very intently: I would love to be able to make a great deal, a deal where you can get on with your lives, and you’ll do wonderfully. You’ll do wonderfully. Incredible people, industrious, beautiful, just an unbelievable group of people in Iran, and I know them well. I have many friends from Iran and many friends that are Americans from Iran, and they’re very proud of Iran. But I hated to do it, just so you understand, and I hope we’re going to be able to do something so that it doesn’t end up in a very catastrophic situation. I don’t want to see that happen. I want, I really want, to see peace, and I hope that we’re able to do that.
They cannot have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple. I’m not putting restrictions. I’m not. They cannot have one thing: They cannot have a nuclear weapon. And if I think that they will have a nuclear weapon despite what I just said, I think that’s going to be very unfortunate for them. If, on the other hand, they can convince us that they won’t, and I hope they can, it’s very easy to do. It’s actually very easy to do. I think they’re going to have an unbelievable future. Yeah, please, sir, go ahead.
Reporter: Thank you, Mr. President. You just laid out your plan for Gaza. Can you lay out your plan for Ukraine?
Trump: For Ukraine?
Reporter: For Ukraine, yes. You consider yourself a strong leader. You blamed your predecessor for letting Russia to take over Ukraine. Will you demand from Putin to get out of Ukraine, from sovereign territory of Ukraine?
Trump: So we’re dealing right now on the subject. I don’t want to spend a lot of time because we’re here for another reason, but we are having very good talks, very constructive talks on Ukraine, and we are talking to the Russians. We’re talking to the Ukrainian leadership. It would have never happened. That would have never happened. It should have never happened. I get reports every week, the number of soldiers, mostly soldiers now, the cities have been largely demolished. You talk about a very sad sight to see. We talk Gaza. Well, many of these cities look as bad as Gaza and worse, what’s happened to them. And I want to see that end, and I want to see it end for one simple reason: the life of young people being absolutely obliterated on both sides. You probably have 700,000 Ukrainian soldiers dead; 800,000, maybe more, Russian soldiers dead. It’s very flat land, and the only thing that’s going to stop a bullet is a human body, in this case usually soldiers. And the numbers are staggering when you hear the real numbers in Ukraine, what the numbers are, and this doesn’t include the cities that have been demolished and all of the people that were killed. So I want to see it stopped. We’re having very good talks, and I think we’re going to get it. I think something will be, hopefully dramatically, it will rise above everything. You have to. You can’t let this continue. You can’t. This is an absolute slaughter that’s taking place on the beautiful farmlands of Ukraine, and we have to stop it. We can’t let this continue. It is a human tragedy, and we’re going to try very hard to stop it. Yeah, please, go ahead, sir.
Reporter: Thank you. Mr. President, what’s your view about Palestinian leader [Mahmoud] Abbas in all the regional changes you want to do? And the question for the prime minister, what’s your view on President Trump wanting to reach a deal with Iran and also a much more active military stance?
Trump: Go ahead, Bibi. Go ahead.
Netanyahu: I think the president just said something that is the pivot of everything we’re talking about. He said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. And we fully agree with that. If this goal can be achieved by a maximum pressure campaign, so be it. But I think the most important thing is to focus on the goal, which the president just did, and I fully agree with him.
Trump: Well, I said it, and he said it very well. It’s a campaign of pressure to see if we can get something done. He doesn’t want to do what some people think will automatically happen because they’re very difficult people to deal with, as you know, but if we could solve this problem without warfare, without all of the things that you’ve been witnessing over the last number of years, I think it would be a tremendous thing. Go ahead please.
Reporter: Do you have any plans to visit Israel soon?
Trump: To visit where?
Reporter: Israel.
Reporter: And Gaza.
Trump: Oh, well, I love, I love Israel. I will visit there, and I’ll visit Gaza, and I’ll visit Saudi Arabia, and I’ll visit other places all over the Middle East. The Middle East is an incredible place, so vibrant, so, so, it’s just one of the really beautiful places with great people. And I think a lot of bad leadership has taken place in the Middle East that’s allowed this to happen. It’s just terrible, and that includes on the American side, by the way. We should have never gone in there a long time ago, spent trillions of dollars and created so much debt. So that includes Americans, but, yeah, I’ll be visiting a lot of different places in the Middle East. I’ve been invited everywhere, but I will be visiting some. Yeah, OK. Let’s go. Kaitlin [Collins], go ahead. Go ahead.
Reporter: Thank you so much, President Trump. Just to follow up on what you were saying there. Just to follow up on what you were saying about the Gazans leaving Gaza and going to other countries. One, where exactly are you suggesting that they should go? And, two, are you saying they should return after it’s rebuilt? And if not, who do you envision living there?
Trump: I envision a world, people living there, the world’s people. I think you’ll make that into an international, unbelievable place. I think the potential in the Gaza Strip is unbelievable, and I think the entire world, representatives from all over the world, will be there, and they’ll — Palestinians also. Palestinians will live there. Many people will live there. But they’ve tried the other, and they’ve tried it for decades and decades and decades. It’s not going to work. It didn’t work. It will never work, and you have to learn from history. History is, you know, you just can’t let it keep repeating itself. We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal, and I don’t want to be cute. I don’t want to be a wise guy, but the Riviera of the Middle East, this could be something that could be so, this could be so magnificent. But more importantly than that is the people that have been absolutely destroyed that live there now can live in peace in a much better situation. Because they’re living in hell, and those people will now be able to live in peace. We’ll make sure that it’s done world class. It will be wonderful for the people. Palestinians, Palestinians, mostly we’re talking about, and I have a feeling that despite them saying no, I have a feeling that the king in Jordan and that the general, president, but that the general in Egypt will open their hearts and will give us the kind of land that we need to get this done, and people can live in harmony and in peace. Thank you all very much. Thank you. Thank you very much.