It’s unclear whether or not Trump’s feedback had been a deliberate lie or just revealed his lack of know-how of the area.
Former President Donald Trump claimed in a radio interview that he has been to Gaza regardless that no report of such a go to exists.
The remark, which Trump made in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that was broadcast on Monday, got here in response to a query about whether or not the occupied territory, which Israel has largely razed to the bottom over the past 12 months, may very well be developed to “be Monaco, if it was rebuilt the precise manner?”
“It may very well be higher than Monaco. It has the perfect location within the Center East, the perfect water, the perfect the whole lot,” Trump responded. “I’ve been there, and it’s tough. It’s a tough place, earlier than the, you understand, earlier than all the assaults and earlier than the forwards and backwards what’s occurred over the past couple of years.”
Requested to make clear, a spokesperson for the Trump marketing campaign informed the New York Times that “Gaza is in Israel. President Trump has been to Israel.”
Gaza just isn’t, nor has it ever been “in Israel.” The Palestinian territory has been illegally occupied by Israel, in addition to the West Financial institution and East Jerusalem, since 1967.
Israel withdrew its military and settlers from Gaza in 2005, beneath a coverage that the Israeli authorities on the time dubbed “disengagement.” However Israel stays an occupying energy in Gaza beneath worldwide legislation, as its navy continues to retain efficient management of its borders, airspace and shoreline.
The Israeli navy has invaded the territory once more for the final 12 months following the October 7 assaults by Hamas.
Though false claims should not unusual from Trump, it was unclear if these had been deliberate lies or whether or not they simply revealed his lack of know-how in regards to the area’s geography.
Trump visited Israel and the occupied West Financial institution in 2017, his first 12 months in workplace, and met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the time. The West Financial institution and Gaza are separate occupied territories, solely reachable to one another by travelling by means of Israel — one thing most Palestinians should not allowed to do.
Trump’s feedback about Gaza echoed these made by his son-in-law and former adviser Jared Kushner earlier this 12 months. Kushner had known as Gaza’s waterfront property “very helpful.”
Within the interview with Hewitt, Trump additionally referenced Gaza’s oceanfront location.
“They by no means took benefit of it,” he mentioned. “You understand, as a developer, it may very well be essentially the most lovely place – the climate, the water, the entire thing, the local weather. It may very well be so lovely. It may very well be the perfect factor within the Center East, but it surely may very well be among the finest locations on this planet.”