Norman Roule, formerly a national intelligence manager for Iran, outlined his perspective following President Trump’s recent proposal about the U.S. “owning Gaza.”
During an appearance on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” the Middle East expert said he believes there are “positive” elements to Trump’s idea.
“There are serious difficulties with this issue, but what’s the alternative besides leaving these people to sit for five to seven years in rubble and traumatize a generation of Palestinians?” Roule said.
Trump on Tuesday said he favored taking over the home of two million Palestinians who were displaced during the Israel-Hamas war. Under his proposal, they would be relocated so the property in Gaza could become “the Riveria of the Middle East.”
The idea was condemned in several quarters, notably in Saudi Arabia, which rejected the idea of displacing Palestinians.
On Wednesday, Trump representatives appeared to soften the concept, saying the president hasn’t committed the military and that Palestinians would not be sent away for good.
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