Thank you very much.
Mr. President, do you expect, uh, [Inaudible] of the hostage deal to go forward?
Let me talk to you later. Thank you.
Mr. President, if you manage to get this deal done, some say -- a lot of people say that the men who managed to do that should be getting a Nobel Peace Prize. Do you think that you'll be able to get all the hostages back home? And what will happen if you hear from these --
They will never give me a Nobel Peace Price.
[Laughs]
[Crosstalk]
It's too bad. I deserve it, but, uh, they will never give it to me.
[Inaudible] go forward. What needs to happen for normalization of Saudi Arabia?
Well, we're going, and we're dealing with a lot of people, and we have steps to go yet, as you know, and uh, maybe those steps go forward and maybe they don't. We're dealing with a very complex group of people, situation and people. But, we have the right men. We have the right leader of Israel. He's done a great job, and uh, we've been friends for a long time, and we do a great job also.
And, I think, I think we have a combination that's very unbeatable, actually.
[Crosstalk]
Mr. President what will happen --
[Crosstalk]
Wait, wait, wait, wait. Where is the person, where is the person coming from? Come on --
So, Mr. President, what will happen if you will hear from the Israeli side today that they are not really -- to go through with the deal to get all the hostages and finish the war?
We'll see what happens. Whatever happens, we'll be prepared to handle the situation.
Are the Saudis demanding, are the Saudis demanding the Palestinian states -- are the Saudis demanding the Palestinian states?
No, they're not.
Are they demanding a path towards a Palestinian state, or any other recommendation of that --
Everybody's demanding one thing. You know what it is? Peace. We want peace. We want people to stop being killed. Everybody's demanding one thing, pretty simple, peace. And he wants peace also.
Mr. President, don't you think it's politically impossible in Israel to get this deal done until the end?
To get the deal done?
Yeah.
Sure --
Does it --
Why wouldn't a deal get done? A deal can get done. We'll see what happens. We're dealing with very complicated people, but a deal can absolutely get done.
Mr. President, [Inaudible] has Netanyahu supported an Israeli strike on Iran?
We'll see what happens.
President Trump, Prime Minister, Prime Minister Netanyahu, we have heard Joe Biden and Donald Trump take credit for the hostage and ceasefire deal. Who do you think deserves more credit?
I think President, uh, Trump added great force and powerful leadership to this effort. I appreciate it. He sent, um, a very good emissary. He's helped a lot. And, uh, you know, I'll just tell you, I'm happy that they're here, and I'm sure the president is happy that they're here, and I would think that's about enough.
[Crosstalk]
What about [Inaudible] the Israeli hostage --
What about the Israeli press taking a press conference in Israel and not in Washington?
We would love to take a press conference. We would love to interview you, Prime Minister Netanyahu. [Inaudible] A few more questions for Prime Minister Netanyahu. Do you support going forward with this deal and getting all the hostages out?
I support getting all the hostages out and meeting all our war goals, including, that include destroying Hamas' military and governing capabilities and making sure that Gaza never poses a threat to Israel again.
Are you --
All three.
Can those things then go together? Are you willing to -- can you promise to the families that --
I think, I think --
Wait, wait, wait. One at a time.
I should talk to President Trump, okay?
Do you agree with Trump's vision of getting all the hostages back home, even if it means to end the war?
Well, I'm not sure that you articulate it correctly. What, uh, the president's vision is, you can ask -- he can speak for himself. He does that very, very well. I have my own views, three goals, not one, not two, three goals, and I will meet all three goals. I think the president can help, and honestly, he brings fresh thinking --
[Crosstalk]
Fresh thinking.
Terrorists who murdered hundreds of people released to their home, uh, of the part of the deal?
It's a horrible thing. Uh, we can't forget it. I'll never forget it, and you can't forget, and some people want to, uh, put it out of their memory, but we're not going to ever let that happen. Uh, it was a horrible day, October 7, it was a horrible, it was a horrible period of time. And, uh, lot of people like to pretend it didn't happen.
It happened. It's a big group of people that like to pretend it didn't happen, like, uh, the Holocaust didn't happen. Same mindset. And, now, we're going to, uh, we're going to get this thing wrapped up, and we're going to get it done. We're also dealing, I think very successfully, with Russia, Ukraine. We're going to hopefully get that one done at some point in the not-too-distant future.
That's a complex problem also. But, we, uh, we solve problems. We'll, you know, when I left, we had no problem. There was no Ukraine and Russia fighting. There was no October 7. There was nothing, and, uh, some very poor leadership led to a lot of problems and a lot of death, and it's a shame, but we'll put it out.
We'll put out the fires. We have a lot of fires, but we'll put them out.
[Crosstalk]
-- not a theme state, like the peace plan you presented in January of -- in 2020? Is this plan still on the table?
Well, a lot of plans change with time, and a lot of death has occurred since I left and now came back. This death, uh, occurred not while I was here but while somebody else was here. It shouldn't have happened. They shouldn't have allowed it to happen. It would've never happened, and that includes Russia Ukraine would've never happened.
Not even a little bit, not even a chance. But, now we are faced with a situation that's different, in some ways better and in some ways worse. But, uh, we're faced with a, uh, very complex and difficult situation, but we'll solve, we'll solve the problem.
[Crosstalk]
-- out of Gaza. If not Jordan, Egypt, what other countries do you think might accept Palestinians from Gaza?
Well, I think Jordan and Egypt will -- I know they've spoken about it with you, and they say they're not going to accept. I say they will, uh, but I think other countries will accept also. I think that Gaza maybe is a demolition site right now. If you look at Gaza, it's all -- I mean, there's hardly a building standing and the ones that are are going to collapse.
You can't live in Gaza right now, and I think we need another location. I think it should be a location that's going to make people happy. Uh, you look over the, over the decades, it's all death in Gaza. This has been happening for years. It's all death. If we can get a beautiful area to resettle people permanently in nice homes and where they can be happy and not be shot, not be killed, not be knifed to death like what's happening in Gaza, and right now you have in Gaza a very dangerous situation in terms of explosives all over the place, in terms of, uh, tunnels that nobody knows who's in the tunnels.
The whole thing is a mess, and I think that if we can resettle, and I believe we can do it in areas where the leaders currently say, "No." I mean, I've been saying that with Mexico, having to do with, uh, the border and, and all of the things, and you saw what happened. 10,000 soldiers, and, uh, they're going to do a good job.
I really believe that, and I believe Canada's going to do a good job also. They said the same thing, and then they did something much different than what you were hearing. Uh, this is a very, very, uh, difficult situation, but we're going to get it solved. I don't think people should be going back to Gaza.
I think that Gaza has, uh, been very unlucky for them. They've lived like hell. They've lived like you're living in hell. Gaza is not a place for people to be living, and the only reason they want to go back, and I believe this strongly, is because they have no alternative. What's the alternative? Go where?
There's no other alternative. If they had an alternative, they'd much rather not go back to Gaza and live in a beautiful alternative that's safe.
Mr. President --
[Crosstalk]
Peter?
Would Palestinians, would Palestinians have the right to return to Gaza if they left while the rebuilding was happening?
It would be my hope that we could do something really nice, really good, where they wouldn't want to return. Why would they want to return? The place has been hell. It's been one of the meanest, one of the meanest, toughest places on earth, and right now, it's, it's -- I've seen every picture from every angle better than if I were there, and nobody can live there.
You can't live there. So, if we can build, if we can build them through, uh, massive amounts of money, supplied by other people, very rich nations, uh, and they'll, they're willing to supply it. If we can build something for them, and one of the countries -- and it could be Jordan, and it could be Egypt.
It could be other countries, and you could build four or five or six areas. It doesn't have to be one area, but you take certain areas, and you build really good, quality housing, like a beautiful town, like some place where they can live and not die because Gaza's a guarantee that they're going to end up dying.
The same thing's going to happen again. It's happened over and over again, and it's going to happen again, as sure as you're standing there, Peter. So, uh, I hope that we could do something where they wouldn't want to go back. Who would want to go back? They've experienced nothing but death and destruction.
[Crosstalk]
-- what will you do then?
Well, I don't think they're going to tell me no. I don't think they're going to tell me no.
[Crosstalk]
I think they're going to tell Biden no, and I think they're going to tell other people no. I don't think they'll -- I think there's a good chance. Yeah, I'd like to see it happen. All of them. I mean, we're talking about probably a million seven people, a million seven, maybe a million eight. But, I think all of them.
I think they'll be resettled in areas where they can live a beautiful life and not be worried about dying everyday.
[Crosstalk]
Mr. President, do you support, do you support --
[Crosstalk]
Mr. President, do you support building settlements, Jewish set, settlements back in Gaza in the next years?
Say it?
Building settlements, Jewish settlements back in Gaza in the next year? Do you support this idea?
I don't see it happening. It's too dangerous for people. Nobody can go there. It's too dangerous. Nobody wants to be there. Warriors don't want to be there. Soldiers don't want to be there. How can you have people go back? You're saying go back into Gaza now? They'll, the same thing's going to happen. It'll only be death.
The best way to do it is you go out and you get beautiful, open areas with the sunlight coming through and --
No, that's not what I meant. I meant --
Something nice --
I'm building Israeli settlements back in Gaza.
They are not going to want -- they are not going to want to go back to Gaza.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, what is your message to the families of the hostages, that look at this deal, that worried that this deal won't go through? What do you say to them at this moment?
Same message I said from the beginning of the war: Get them out. Get them back. We got, uh, over 70%, close to 75% of the people. Everybody believed we will not get out. We got them in successive deals, and most recently, with the help of President Trump. We're not going to give up on any of them, and we're not going to give up on our other war aims.
Hamas is not going to be in Gaza, and we're going to get everyone back.
And the war's not have --
Prime Minister, how, how optimistic are you about reaching, about reaching phase two of this ceasefire? How optimistic are you about that happening?
Well, we're going to try. That's one of the reasons, one of the things we're going to talk about here, as a -- if we, if we, uh, you know when Israel and the United States work together, and President Trump and I work together, you know, the chances go up a lot. It's when, when we don't work together, Israel and the United States don't work together, that creates problems.
When the other side sees daylight between us and occasionally in the last few years, to put it mild, they --
[Crosstalk]
-- then it's more difficult. When we, we cooperate, chances are good.
Once and for all?
Say it?
Now that Iran is so weak, is it the right time to weak -- to get the nooks once and for all?
So, you say Iran is so weak. I appreciate you saying that. They're not weak. They're very strong right now, and we're not, we're not going to, uh, allow them to have a nuclear weapon. It's very simple. You know, I signed a very strong proclamation. Iran was, uh, in big trouble when I left. They were broke.
They didn't have money for Hamas. They didn't have any money for Hezbollah. You had no problem. October 7 could've never happened. When I left, October 7 could've never happened, and frankly, Russia and Ukraine, as I said, could never have happened. Uh, they became very strong very fast. They sold massive amounts of oil to China and everybody else, who would not buy the oil when I was president, cause we said, "Don't buy the oil." And, they became very rich very quickly, but they're not weak.
They're not weak. They're strong. Doesn't mean they won't be weak, but you know what? We just don't want them to have a nuclear weapon. They can't have a nuclear weapon.
[Crosstalk]
He doesn't know what he wants. What do you, what do you know about anything? Go ahead.
So, if that option is on the table --
Yes, please?
President Trump, is that option on the table? [Inaudible] You're not just talking about Jordan?
No. Could be other places, too. There are many people that have reached out, many countries, many leaders of countries, that have reached out that would like to participate in that. Doesn't have to be Jordan and Egypt, but I think it would be also them.
[Crosstalk]
-- your relationship with Mr. Netanyahu, ups and downs. How do you describe it right now?
No, I think it's mostly ups.
Mr. President [Inaudible] because that will be empty?
What?
The Palestinian Authority, can it rule Gaza? What do you think?
Well, it's had a pretty hard time, wouldn't you say? I would say it's had a pretty bad time of it.
Mr. President, Qatar has, uh -- you've criticized them in the past as a funder of terr, terrorism. So, has the prime minister. Do you think they're part of the solution, or part of a problem moving forward?
I think they're trying to help. Qatar?
Yep.
Is absolutely trying to help. I know them very well, and they're doing everything they can. Very tough situation, but they're absolutely trying to help.
[Crosstalk]
Okay. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you.