Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a tongue-in-cheek remark before a conference on Wednesday, suggesting that US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate would be a “fantastic place” to relocate Gazans, in a reference to Trump’s plan for the US to take over Gaza and relocate its citizens to neighboring countries. “I actually happened to be giving a speech in Florida the other day and I looked at the beach at Mar-a-Lago and I thought: ‘This is absolutely a fantastic place if you wanted to resettle millions of people from the Middle East, absolutely beautiful,’” Johnson quipped at the World Government Summit in Dubai. However, he then pointed out the flaw in the comparison, emphasizing that both Mar-a-Lago and Gaza are owned by others. “It’s not gonna happen because somebody else owns it. And Gaza is in, in law, owned and occupied by people who have a right to be there,” he noted. During the discussion, CNN International anchor Richard Quest pressed Johnson, who had attended Trump’s inauguration just a month earlier, on his views of the US President. Johnson responded that he is “sympathetic” to many of Trump’s policies and views him as a leader with “strong leadership” skills. He also hinted that Trump’s controversial Gaza proposal might be intended to provoke fresh thinking about the region’s future. “It’s not for me to try to analyze what the President is saying,” Johnson said. “But I think he’s inviting everybody to say, ‘Look, this place plainly does have great potential. It does have a wonderful location.’” Trump on Tuesday reiterated his plan for Gaza during a meeting at the White House with King Abdullah II of Jordan. The Jordanian King later said that he reaffirmed his country’s firm stance against the displacement of Palestinian Arabs in Gaza and Judea and Samaria during the meeting. In a post on X, the Jordanian monarch described the discussion with Trump as "constructive" and highlighted the strong and enduring partnership between Jordan and the United States. Related articles: Gazans to be resettled in East Africa? 'Trump disavowal of deportation of Gazans is encouraging' Hamas welcomes Trump's statement on Gaza residents Trump: 'Nobody's expelling any Palestinians' "I reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This is the unified Arab position. Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all," he wrote. Meanwhile, Egypt announced that it intends to present a "comprehensive proposal" for rebuilding Gaza while ensuring that Palestinian Arabs remain on their land.
