Dutton praises Trump as a ‘big thinker’ who wants peace, after president’s Gaza plan

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has praised Donald Trump as “a big thinker” who wants peace after the US president shocked the world by proposing an American takeover of the Gaza Strip, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese remained muted in response.

Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States could assume control of Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” in a call to expel the territory’s Palestinian inhabitants to neighbouring Arab states. Both neighbouring nations and Palestinians have rejected the idea.

Donald Trump wants “the best possible outcome” for the Middle East, Peter Dutton says.Credit: AP, Alex Ellinghausen

Dutton said Trump was “a big thinker and a dealmaker”, while later reiterating his party’s stance was still for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.

“He’s not become the president for a second time by being anything other than shrewd; you’ve seen it in his business life, and the art of the deal is incredibly important to him … that nobody’s ripping each other off,” Dutton told Nine’s 2GB radio.

“I think there’s a desire for peace here from every reasonable person, and hopefully, it can be achieved.”

Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday he would not respond to Trump’s comments directly and reiterated Australia’s support for a two-state solution. The prime minister repeated his position during media appearances on Thursday morning.

“I’m not going to run a commentary on the president’s motivations every day,” Albanese told the ABC.

His neutral stance differs from the reaction of other world leaders, such as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who told the House of Commons that Palestinians must be allowed home.

Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday the US would not pay for the president’s plan or deploy US personnel to Gaza, and clarified that the administration did not want Palestinians permanently removed from the territory.

But Dutton said Trump’s proposed solution should not be dismissed.

“I think [Trump’s logic], it’s part of a desire to see peace and stability in the region, and let’s be honest, what’s gone before us has failed,” Dutton said.

“I think it is about ‘how do you leverage the best possible outcome?’ Provide peace and stability so that people can raise their kids in an environment that is conducive to them leading a good life, not being blown apart.”

Speaking later in Canberra, Dutton said he did not believe Trump had intent to act outside international law.

“I don’t think the president, from what I’ve seen, is talking about forcefully moving people,” he said.

Asked explicitly if he still supports a two-state solution, Dutton unequivocally said: “Yes, I do, yes.”

Coalition home affairs spokesman James Paterson also avoided criticising Trump.

“We have limited information about it [the plan] … the two-state solution is the more durable solution to this problem,” he told reporters in Canberra.

Liberal senator Dave Sharma, who was once Australia’s ambassador to Israel, expressed a similar position, saying Trump’s remarks should not always be taken literally, and he did not believe the president’s Gaza proposal was “the final script”.

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