It’s unclear whether or not Trump’s feedback had been a deliberate lie or just revealed his lack of expertise of the area.
Former President Donald Trump claimed in a radio interview that he has been to Gaza though no document 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 yr, might be developed to “be Monaco, if it was rebuilt the appropriate means?”
“It might be higher than Monaco. It has the most effective location within the Center East, the most effective water, the most effective all the things,” Trump responded. “I’ve been there, and it’s tough. It’s a tough place, earlier than the, , earlier than the entire 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 Instances that “Gaza is in Israel. President Trump has been to Israel.”
Gaza 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 regulation, as its army continues to retain efficient management of its borders, airspace and shoreline.
The Israeli army has invaded the territory once more for the final yr following the October 7 assaults by Hamas.
Though false claims usually are not unusual from Trump, it was unclear if these had been deliberate lies or whether or not they simply revealed his lack of expertise concerning the area’s geography.
Trump visited Israel and the occupied West Financial institution in 2017, his first yr 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 Israel — one thing most Palestinians usually are not allowed to do.
Trump’s feedback about Gaza echoed these made by his son-in-law and former adviser Jared Kushner earlier this yr. Kushner had referred to 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 already know, as a developer, it might be essentially the most lovely place – the climate, the water, the entire thing, the local weather. It might be so lovely. It might be the most effective factor within the Center East, but it surely might be among the finest locations on the planet.”