Netanyahu calls Trump’s Gaza ‘takeover’ plan as ‘historic opportunity’ for Israel’s future
U.S. President Donald Trump (R) meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S. on Feb. 4, 2025. (AFP Photo)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed “takeover” of Gaza as a “historic opportunity” to secure Israel’s future. He argued that displacing Gazans was “the only viable solution” to the ongoing conflict, supporting Trump’s controversial plan for U.S. control of the region.
Trump has repeatedly called for taking over Gaza and resettling its population to develop what he called “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
The idea has been rejected by the Arab world and many other nations, who say it amounts to ethnic cleansing.
During a Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu commented on the appointment of Eyal Zamir as Israel’s new military chief of staff, saying, “We have an opportunity for a historic change that guarantees Israel’s future,” the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Israeli media outlet, reported, without providing further details.
Israel votes to confirm new army chief
On Sunday, the Israeli Cabinet voted to confirm that Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir is the next Israeli army chief of staff.
Zamir was replaced by Herzi Halevi, who resigned in January following Israel’s failure to prevent Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
Netanyahu praised Zamir’s aggressive military approach, saying, “I was looking for a chief of staff with an offensive mindset, and I got one. Israel needs leaders like him to win.”
Zamir is set to assume his position in early March.
‘Only plan I think can work’
Netanyahu claimed that Israel is working to remove Palestinians from Gaza’s “conflict zone,” insisting that Trump’s plan—aimed at seizing the territory and expelling its residents—is “the only plan I think can work.”
According to him, Trump’s vision of displacing a large number of Palestinians and transforming Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East” is not surprising given that both sides discussed it before its announcement. He described the plan as a “significant shift for Israel.”
‘We did not receive flowers’
Turning to regional developments, Netanyahu addressed Syria’s changing political landscape, claiming that the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8 has not benefited Israel.
“We did not receive flowers after Bashar al-Assad’s regime fell, but we have not allowed Syrian territory to be used against us,” Netanyahu said.
Bashar Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.
The next day, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the leader of the new Syrian administration, who was appointed on Jan. 29 as president, tasked Mohammed Al-Bashir with forming a government to oversee Syria’s transitional period.
