Amid row over his ‘Gaza Plan’, US President Donald Trump asserted that no one would be “expelled” from the strip, The Jerusalem Post reported. He made the remarks before he met with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin at the White House on Wednesday.
In his statement alongside Martin, Trump said, “No one is expelling anyone from Gaza.” During his meeting with Martin, he even called the US Senate’s minority leader Chuck Schumer “a Palestinian.” Trump said, “Schumer is a Palestinian as far as I’m concerned.
He’s become a Palestinian. He used to be Jewish. He’s not Jewish anymore. He’s a Palestinian.” He made a similar statement regarding Schumer in a February post on his social media platform Truth Social.
In his remarks, Martin said aid needed to be increased into Gaza and called for a ceasefire as well as the release of hostages held by Hamas since the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, according to The Jerusalem Post report.
Earlier in December, Israel announced the closure of its embassy in Ireland, citing the country’s “anti-Israel policies.” The decision came a week after Ireland expressed support for South Africa’s action against Israel in the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The US President’s remarks on Gaza come after his statement in February, where he said that the US will take over the Gaza Strip, dismantle dangerous weapons, get rid of the destroyed buildings and work for the economic development of the area.
While addressing a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said, “The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it. We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site and getting rid of the destroyed buildings. Create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.”
Meanwhile, Arab foreign ministers agreed on Wednesday to continue talks and coordinate with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff on the Gaza reconstruction plan proposed by Egypt during a meeting in Doha, according to a joint statement. The joint statement said consultations will continue on the plan with Witkoff, as a “basis for the reconstruction efforts” in the Gaza Strip.
