President Donald Trump briefly addressed the Middle East on Wednesday afternoon during his remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, saying, “I think we have peace there.”
According to Trump, speaking hours after another strike in the Gaza Strip, “there are a few small situations, like Hamas, which has agreed to give up its weapons. But they were born with a rifle in their hands, so it’s not an easy thing for them. But they agreed to it, and they have to do it.” He added, “We’ll know in the next two or three days, and certainly over the next three weeks, whether they’re going to do it or not. If not, they’ll be blown away very quickly."
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Trump said 59 countries are part of what he described as "Board of Peace." His comments came as Germany and Italy, following France and Britain, announced they would not join a newly proposed peace council that has been described as potentially disruptive to the global order. Trump said some of the countries involved are not traditionally part of the Middle East but are interested in taking action against Hamas and doing whatever they can.
He also said there is a problem with Hezbollah in Lebanon and that developments there remain to be seen, as Israel carried out a new wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon. Trump described those issues as limited flare-ups, saying there is still peace in the Middle East.
Trump then turned to Iran, speaking about the bombing of the Fordo nuclear facility. He said the United States had done what was necessary and that without the strike there would never have been peace in the Middle East. He said countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and others would not have been able to sign any agreements because of what he described as the threat posed by Iran.
Trump said Iran had been neutralized, arguing that otherwise it would have obtained nuclear weapons within two months. He said Iran had been very close to acquiring nuclear arms and that the strike amounted to a complete destruction of the site. He said Iran might try again but would have to do so from another location because the area had been eliminated. Trump said the action made it possible to pursue peace.
Trump talks about the Iron Dome
In his speech, Trump also referred to his desire to develop a ballistic missile defense system that would be known as the “Golden Dome,” citing U.S. assistance to Israel in the development of the Iron Dome system.
“What we did for Israel was incredible, but it will be nothing compared to what we’re planning for the United States, Canada and the rest of the world,” he said. “We’re building a dome like nothing that’s ever existed before. We did it, we did it for Israel. I told Bibi, ‘Bibi, stop taking credit for the dome. It’s our technology. It’s ours.’”