Trump, Netanyahu back Gaza relocation plan amid ceasefire talks

Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday (local time), with both leaders reiterating their controversial proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to other countries–a move that critics have condemned as forced transfer, Al Jazeera reported.

The meeting took place over dinner in the Blue Room as indirect US-backed negotiations between Israel and Hamas continued in Qatar for a potential 60-day ceasefire to halt the ongoing 21-month war in Gaza.

“We’re working with the United States very closely about finding countries that will seek to realise what they always say, that they wanted to give the Palestinians a better future. I think we’re getting close to finding several countries,” Netanyahu said.

“If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave. It shouldn’t be a prison. It should be an open place and give people a free choice,” he added.

Trump, who earlier sparked backlash for suggesting Gaza be turned into a “Riviera of the Middle East,” reiterated his support for the idea and said, “So something good will happen.” He also claimed there had been “great cooperation” from neighbouring countries on the matter.

“This is something the Israelis have been saying for some time, calling it the ‘voluntary migration’ of Palestinians from their homelands. But of course, this has been condemned as ethnic cleansing,” Al Jazeera correspondent Hamdah Salhut reported from Amman, Jordan.

Former Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas told Al Jazeera that despite repeated public statements about relocation, there is no clear or actionable plan. “The fact that the Israeli defence minister blurts some ideas out, or even the prime minister, or even the president of the United States, doesn’t mean there is a plan,” he said.

“In early February, Trump spoke about a Palestinian Riviera, and within 36 hours, he changed that from a Riviera for the Palestinians to the Palestinians will be expelled,” he added.

Amid reports that the Boston Consulting Group was asked to draft a relocation plan, Pinkas cautioned that such concepts “don’t mean it’s implementable… it is a recipe for catastrophe because it ensures that no [post-war] agreement in Gaza is durable.”

Monday’s dinner came as indirect ceasefire negotiations in Qatar continued, with Israeli and Hamas negotiators in separate rooms discussing a 60-day halt in fighting. The draft framework includes a phased release of captives, Israeli withdrawals from parts of Gaza, and broader talks to end the war.

Netanyahu, however, rejected a full Palestinian state and insisted Israel would “always” retain security control over Gaza. Hamas demands a full withdrawal and the release of all Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages.

Trump had predicted a ceasefire agreement could be reached this week, but no official announcements followed Monday’s session. His special envoy Steve Witkoff, credited with shaping the latest proposals, is expected to join the negotiations in Qatar this week.

During their White House meeting, Netanyahu presented Trump with a letter used to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize. “So much of this is about optics,” said Al Jazeera correspondent Phil Lavelle from Washington, DC. “Of course, the [Israeli] prime minister will be very keen to make sure that this is seen back home as a major success.”

Trump, who has long expressed a desire to win a Nobel, referenced previous ceasefires his administration helped broker between India and Pakistan, and between the DRC and Rwanda.

He also said that Iran had reached out to restart talks on its nuclear programme. “We have scheduled Iran talks, and they … want to talk. They took a big drubbing,” Trump said. Witkoff indicated the talks could happen “perhaps in a week.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in an interview released Monday with US journalist Tucker Carlson, said he believed differences with Washington could be resolved through dialogue.