‘The purest, freshest idea’: Netanyahu praises Trump's plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza

In an interview with Fox News, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu praised US President Donald Trump’s proposal to forcibly displace and “relocate” Gaza's population to Jordan and Egypt.

Trump first proposed the idea on 25 January, later adding that the US would "take over" Gaza to turn it into a “Riviera of the Middle East".

"I think that President Trump’s proposal is the purest, freshest idea in years. It has the potential to change everything in Gaza,” Netanyahu told Fox News. 

“We come in[to Gaza], we slap them, we smack them, then we leave, then we do it again, then they do it. Doesn’t go anywhere,” Netanyahu added.

He also said that the reason why Gaza is labelled the “biggest open-air prison in the world” is due to the fact that people are “not allowed to leave”.

"So open the gate. Let them leave,” he said.

Netanyahu further proposed that “Arab and Gulf countries finance the reconstruction” and admitted that finding the “right destination” for the population of Gaza remains “the real issue”.

Jordan and Egypt have unequivocally rejected Trump's plans. Jordan's former deputy prime minister, Mamdouh al-Abadi, called Trump's remarks "a declaration of war on the Arab people".