WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump expanded on his territorial ambitions on Tuesday when he announced a plan to forcibly displace more than two million Palestinians and colonize the Gaza Strip.

The audacious announcement came while in company with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who had flown to Washington to meet with the president. There was no talk of hostages or the second phase of the ceasefire which is currently due to be negotiated. Instead Mr Trump outlined his plan to add Gaza to Greenland, the Panama Canal, and Canada as U.S. possessions.

The president said Gaza was a "demolition site," consisted of rubble and was nt place for millions of people to live, particularly with unexploded bombs everywhere. He proposed the Palestinians go to other countries, saying he would ask Egypt and Jordan to take them. He said they would live in areas, maybe six areas, where they could have world class facilities. He did not say who would build these areas and who would pay for them.

He did say however the U.S. would clear Gaza of the unexploded bombs, which is probably fair since most of them are U.S. bombs. He said Gaza would be owned by the U.S. and its real estate would be developed to a point whereas it could be "the Riviera of the Middle East."

In answer to a question as to whether Saudi Arabia would demand a Palestinian state if it was to normalize relations with Israel, Mr Trump replied, "no."

Trump officials are saying privately a deal with Saudi Arabia is close.

"The U..S will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too," Mr Trump said Tuesday. "We'll own it."

He said if necessary he would send in U.S. troops.

Mr Netanyahu sat alongside Mr Trump, beaming, and later praised the plan, and Mr Trump for "thinking outside the box."

Asked what he thought Egypt and Jordan would think about taking in more than two million Palestinians, the U.S. president responded: "They won't tell me no. I want to remove all the residents of Gaza. It will happen."

"Look, the Gaza thing has not worked. It's never worked. And I feel very differently about Gaza than a lot of people. I think they should get a good, fresh, beautiful piece of land, and we get some people to put up the money to build it and make it nice and make it habitable and enjoyable," he said.

"They have no alternative right now. I mean, they're there because they have no alternative. What do they have? It is a big pile of rubble right now. I mean, have you seen the pictures of it? Have you been there? It's terrible to live. Who can live like that?"

"Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area," Mr Trump said. "Do a real job. Do something different. Just can't go back. If you go back, it's going to end up the same way it has for 100 years."

The Israeli prime minister lauded the proposal. "Your willingness to puncture conventional thinking, thinking that has failed time and time and time again, your willingness to think outside the box with fresh ideas, will help us achieve all these goals," Mr Netanyahu said. "And I've seen you do this many times. You cut to the chase. You see things others refuse to see. You say things others refuse to say, you know. And after the jaws drop, people scratch their heads, and they say, 'You know, he's right.'"

Photo credit: Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters