Netanyahu backs Trump’s Gaza ‘take over’ as Israeli defense minister instructs military to draw up voluntary migration plan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has backed U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for the United States to “take over” Gaza, as his defense minister instructed the Israeli military to draw up a plan that would enable the “voluntary departure” of Palestinian residents in Gaza, CNN reports.

“This is the first good idea that I’ve heard. It’s a remarkable idea and I think it should be really pursued, examined, pursued, and done because I think it will create a different future for everyone,” Netanyahu said of Trump’s plan for the future of Gaza, in an interview on Fox News Wednesday.

“The actual idea of allowing first Gazans who want to leave to leave, I mean, what is wrong with that?” he said, adding that Palestinians who left could come back after reconstruction was complete.

Trump announced on Tuesday at a joint news conference with Netanyahu a plan for the US to take “long-term ownership” of Gaza, relocate its residents to neighboring countries, and redevelop the Palestinian territory into what he described as the “Riviera of the Middle East.”