US planning to move Palestinians to Libya
The administration of US President Donald Trump is working on a plan to permanently relocate up to 1 million Palestinians from Gaza to Libya, NBC has reported, citing informed sources. The White House has denied the claim.
Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly said that the US is prepared to take control of Gaza and transform it into a resort on the Mediterranean Sea. The idea has faced strong opposition from other nations in the region, who argue that such plans violate international law, threaten regional stability, and undermine the rights of Palestinians to remain on their ancestral lands.
The plan to relocate around a half of Gaza's population to Libya is under 'serious' consideration in the White House, the broadcaster claimed in an article on Friday.
According to the sources, in exchange for Libya accepting the Palestinians, the Trump administration could be ready to unfreeze some $30 billion in funds belonging to the North African state that were blocked a decade ago.
The NBC report said that Washington had already discussed the idea with the Libyan leadership, although it did not specify which of the country's rivaling governments it was.
Libya remains in turmoil since a NATO-backed uprising ousted its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) and the UN-recognized government's Stability Support Apparatus (SSA) in the city of Tobruk are currently vying for power in the country.
The head of the head of SSA government, Abdulghani al-Kikli, also known as Ghaniwa, was assassinated this past Monday, which led to clashes in Tripoli. The US State Department advises American citizens against traveling to Libya 'due to crime, terrorism, unexploded landmines, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict.'
Israel is being informed about the discussion between the US and Libya, the sources said.
No final agreement on moving Palestinians has been reached, according to NBC, which added that details about when or how the plan could be implemented remain 'murky.'
A Trump administration spokesman has said that the report by NBC was 'untrue.' The spokesman stressed that the 'situation on the ground [in Libya] is untenable for such a plan. Such a plan was not discussed and makes no sense.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
4 hours ago
- Russia Today
Musk explains his black eye
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk raised a lot of eyebrows when he appeared at a press conference with US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office on Friday with what appeared to be a black eye. The event was dedicated to the tech billionaire's departure from his leadership role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a task force aimed at cutting wasteful US federal spending. When asked about what had happened to his eye by journalists, Musk replied that he had been 'horsing around' with his son, 'Lil X.' 'I said go ahead and punch me in the face and he did,' the entrepreneur recalled. 'I did not really feel much at the time, and then I guess it bruises up.' Trump said that he did not notice Musk's black eye until it was mentioned by the journalists. 'X could do it. If you knew X, he could do it,' the president added. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO also joked that he 'was not anywhere near France' when his injury happened, in a nod to an incident earlier this week in which France's First Lady, Brigitte Macron, slapped President Emmanuel Macron in the face in front of cameras as the pair was about to exit a plane during a visit to Vietnam. On Thursday, the New York Times published a report, citing unnamed sources, who claimed that Musk has been consuming an alarming amount of drugs, including taking ketamine 'often, sometimes daily' and mixing it with other drugs, as well as using ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms. When asked about the article, the tech billionaire dismissed the NYT, pointing out that it is 'the same publication that got a Pulitzer Prize for false reporting on Russiagate.' Trump thanked Musk for his work in charge of DOGE, while the Tesla and SpaceX CEO assured that his departure is 'not the end' of the agency. 'I will continue to be visiting here and be a friend and adviser to the president,' Musk said.
Russia Today
17 hours ago
- Russia Today
NYT claims Musk is addicted to drugs
Tech billionaire Elon Musk, a major ally of US President Donald Trump, has been consuming an alarming amount of drugs, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. The report came out shortly after Musk announced that he would step down from the leadership role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a task force aimed at cutting wasteful government spending. Although the CEO of SpaceX, Tesla, and X had admitted in the past to taking ketamine prescribed for depression about every two weeks, the Times wrote that he has 'developed a far more serious habit' as his drug consumption 'went well beyond occasional use.' The Times cited its sources as saying that Musk had been using ketamine 'often, sometimes daily,' and mixing it with other drugs, as well as taking Ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms. The businessman reportedly traveled with a daily medication box that held about 20 pills, including ones marked as Adderall, a stimulant used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He has also been warned in advance about random drug tests of SpaceX employees, the Times said. In 2018, the Times reported that some board members at Tesla were worried about his use of the sleep drug Ambien. The Wall Street Journal reported last year that senior executives at SpaceX and Tesla were also concerned about Musk's consumption of drugs, including LSD and cocaine. Musk dodged a reporter's question about his alleged drug use at a press conference with Trump at the Oval Office on Friday, dismissing the Times as 'the same publication that got a Pulitzer Prize for false reporting on Russiagate.' He said in 2024 that 'not even trace quantities were found of any drugs or alcohol' in his system over the three years of tests at SpaceX. Musk said that his departure is 'not the end of DOGE,' whose team will grow over time. 'I will continue to be visiting here and be a friend and adviser to the president,' Musk said at the White House.
Russia Today
a day ago
- Russia Today
Trump comments on Macron wife slap
US President Donald Trump has said Emmanuel Macron is 'fine' following an incident in which his wife Brigitte appeared to slap her husband aboard their plane. The footage, which quickly went viral, was filmed as the French first couple arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, on May 25 to begin a Southeast Asia tour. As the aircraft door opened, Macron was seen speaking to someone off-camera. Two arms in red sleeves then reached out and pushed his face, covering his mouth and jaw. He stepped back, smiled, and waved after noticing the cameras. Brigitte, wearing a red jacket, soon appeared beside him. Macron offered his arm, which she declined, and the two walked down the stairs together. Asked on Friday if he had any marital advice for Macron, Trump quipped, 'Make sure the door remains closed.' He added, 'That was not good,' and said he had spoken to Macron after the incident. 'He's fine, they're fine,' Trump said. 'They're two really good people I know very well,' he added. 'I don't know what that was all about.' Macron has downplayed the incident, telling reporters the moment was simply the two of them 'having fun.' He also addressed two other recent viral clips. 'A lot of lunatics are spending their days interpreting all these videos,' he said. One clip, filmed on a train to Ukraine, showed Macron with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The French president briefly hid a small object, prompting online rumors of drug use, which the Elysee palace called baseless. Another, from the European Political Community summit in Albania two weeks ago, showed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gripping Macron's finger while seated, a gesture some interpreted as a power play. Macron confirmed all three videos were genuine but dismissed the narratives around them. He and Brigitte have been married since 2007. The couple met when he was a student and she was a teacher at his high school in Amiens. She is 24 years older than her husband.
