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Netanyahu gifts Trump a ‘golden pager’ during visit – in nod to stunning attack that took out Hezbollah terrorists | Avi Melamed quoted in this article by Isabel Keane | Published in the New York Post
“I wouldn’t be surprised to know that in the back rooms, the Saudis, the Egyptians, the Jordanians are very much happy about Trump’s … that idea of the United States taking control over the situation in Gaza,” Avi Melamed, an ex-Israeli intelligence official who served as a senior Arab affairs adviser to Jerusalem, told The Post Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly gifted President Trump a “golden pager” — in a nod to those used in stunning attacks to take out Israel’s terrorist enemies.
Netanyahu gave Trump two pagers — one regular, one golden — during their historic meeting Tuesday, according to the Times of Israel.
The gift comes months after thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah operatives across Lebanon suddenly exploded, killing more than 30 people and injuring over 3,400 others in September, according to the Times of Israel.
In return, Trump gave Netanyahu a photo of the two of them from the visit with the dedication: “To Bibi, a great leader.”
The majority of those hit during the September attack were members of or linked to members of Hezbollah.
The pagers, and hundreds of walkie-talkies that blew up the following day, suddenly started heating up and exploding in their owners’ hands or pockets after the devices beeped, indicating an incoming message.
Following the deadly attacks, Iran-backed Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas launched its Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
During a press conference with Netanyahu on Tuesday, Trump also suggested that the US could “take over” the Gaza Strip and send Palestinians living there to other neighboring countries.
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” Trump said.
“We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings — level it out and create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.”
The president also argued that Gazans would leave “if they had alternatives” and suggested sending them to Jordan and Egypt — a proposal both countries rejected.
“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,” Trump said.
“I think they’d love to leave Gaza if they had an option,” he added. “Right now they don’t have an option … The whole place is demolished. It’s unsafe, it’s unsanitary. It’s not a place where people want to live.”
However, despite the public rejection of Trump’s plan, a former Israel-Palestinian negotiator said Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan are likely secretly interested in the president’s future vision for Gaza as a possible solution to their Hamas problem.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to know that in the back rooms, the Saudis, the Egyptians, the Jordanians are very much happy about Trump’s … that idea of the United States taking control over the situation in Gaza,” Avi Melamed, an ex-Israeli intelligence official who served as a senior Arab affairs adviser to Jerusalem, told The Post Wednesday.
The densely populated Gaza Strip has over 2 million residents.
Netanyahu gifts Trump a ‘golden pager’ during visit – in nod to stunning attack that took out Hezbollah terrorists | Avi Melamed quoted in this article by Isabel Keane | Published in the New York Post
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