Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accompanied by U.S. President Donald Trump (L), and his wife Sara (R), speaks during a dinner in the Blue Room of the White House on July 7, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Credit: Andrew Harnik/AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued his push on Monday for a plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza into neighboring countries, a plan initially put forward by his current host in Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump.
Speaking to reporters at the start of a dinner between U.S. and Israeli officials, Netanyahu said the two countries were working with regional players who he said would give Palestinians a "better future," suggesting that Gazans would be made to move to neighboring countries.
"We're working with the United States very closely about finding countries that will seek to realise what they always say, that they wanted to give the Palestinians a better future," said the Israeli prime minister, who is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for his government's actions in Gaza. "I think we're getting close to finding several countries."
In an exchange with Trump, Netanyahu said: "You know if people want to stay, they can stay. But if they want to leave they should be able to leave. It shouldn't be a prison. It should be an open place and give people free choice."
Trump also indicated progress was being made on the initiative, which human rights organizations have denounced as ethnic cleansing.
Gaza has been under partial Israeli blockade since 2007 and under total blockade since Israel launched its military offensive after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack. Israel's grip on the besieged enclave has led it to be often referred to as an "open-air prison."
Five days after becoming president in January, Trump said Jordan and Egypt should take in Palestinians from Gaza while suggesting he was open to this being a long-term plan.
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