Washington: US President Donald Trump spoke to reporters at length while flying to Israel ahead of the expected release of hostages held by Hamas for more than two years.
He was, as ever, bullish about the prospects of the peace deal he helped put in place, citing “verbal guarantees” he had received, as well as his belief that foreign leaders did not want to disappoint him.
Asked about his previous enthusiasm for property developers to create a “Riviera of the Middle East” along Gaza’s waterfront real estate, Trump played down expectations of a speedy turnaround.
“I don’t know about the riviera for a while. Because you take a look at what you have – you have to get people taken care of first,” he said.
“They’re going to have to start by removing a lot of the structures that you see… it’s blasted, this is like a demolition site. That process is going to start pretty much immediately.”
US President Donald Trump prepares to board Air Force One on Sunday.Credit: AP
Trump walks up the stairs of Air Force One for his flight to the Middle East.Credit: AP
Trump said he didn’t think there would be much use for the International Stabilisation Force, a multinational peacekeeping effort expected to monitor the ceasefire under US oversight.
“People are going to behave, everybody knows their place,” he said. “Everybody is happy, whether it’s Jewish or Muslim, or the Arab countries, every country is dancing in the streets.”
The president was also unfazed by reports that Hamas was acting as a quasi police force in parts of Gaza, with clashes breaking out between security forces and other fighters.
“I think it’s going to be fine. Who knows for sure, but I think it’s going to be fine.”
