LONDON - President Donald Trump has claimed that the United States is ready to “take over” and “own” the war-torn Gaza Strip, arguing for the removal and “resettlement” of the estimated 2.3 million Palestinians inhabiting the area.

Mr Trump, who spoke after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Feb 4, claimed that Palestinians could live out their lives in what he called “peace and harmony” elsewhere.

“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site,” Mr Trump added.

The President’s comments delighted Mr Netanyahu, who became the first foreign leader to visit Washington since Mr Trump’s inauguration; the Israeli prime minister smiled broadly as the US President spoke at their joint press conference.

But Mr Trump’s plan will only encourage extremists in the Israeli government in their belief that the Palestinians can be evicted and their land seized, a strategy they have advocated for decades.

And far from offering “peace and harmony”, the US President’s proposals will torpedo any chance for a regional settlement. Saudi Arabia, the Middle East’s most influential Arab state, immediately expressed its “unequivocal rejection” of Mr Trump’s ideas.

This is not the first time President Trump has touted the option of removing Gazans from their territory – he first mooted this on Jan 26, less than a week after he returned to office.

However, his comments then were initially dismissed as a throwaway remark to journalists in mid-flight aboard his official jet, Air Force One.

Their reiteration now, in the presence of Mr Netanyahu, gives the plan a far higher significance.

There are two other nuances added to Mr Trump’s plan.

The first is the idea that the US could assu...