Trump and Netanyahu set for pivotal talks on Middle East agenda

“It’s a pure demolition site. If we could find the right piece of land, or numerous pieces of land, and build them some really nice places with plenty of money in the area, that’s for sure. I think that would be a lot better than going back to Gaza,” he told reporters.

That echoed the wishes of Israel’s far right and contradicts former President Joe Biden’s commitment against the mass displacement of Palestinians.

Arab states and the Palestinian Authority have rejected the idea, which some human rights advocates have likened to ethnic cleansing.

In his first term, Trump handed Netanyahu a series of successes, including the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and the signing of the Abraham Accords, normalising relations between Israel and several Arab states.

He remains a strong supporter of US ally Israel, taking credit for helping broker the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas militants in the Palestinian enclave even before he returned to office while insisting he wants to end the wars in the Middle East.