Brisbane news live: Prime minister flies to Qld flood zones | Dutton says Trump wants peace in the Middle East

To global news now, namely US President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to “take over” Gaza, remove millions of Palestinians from the region, level the site and rebuild it in a vision of a “Riviera of the Middle East”.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has responded, telling 2GB’s Ben Fordham that he thought the proposal was part of Trump’s “desire to see peace and stability in the region”.
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“Let’s be honest, what’s gone before us has failed. And people who dismiss President Trump and say that he’s not serious or whatever derogatory comments they want to make, I just think it defies the reality of the gravitas that he brings to the situation, the might of the United States.”
He continued that Trump was trying to leverage the “best possible outcome” to allow people to “raise their kids in an environment that is conducive to them for leading a good life, not being blown apart”.
Despite the huge dollar figure that the US would foot if it were to “own Gaza” and rebuild the region as Trump has suggested, Dutton noted that the US election was won because of middle Americans who felt “ripped off by the system” and questioned why the “government is out spending our money that we’ve paid in taxes on causes around the world”.
“When you look at it in that context, it’s perfectly reasonable that he would try and leverage near neighbours who don’t want to take any Palestinians,” Dutton said, alluding to the possibility that Trump’s proposal is a negotiating strategy.
“That’s the reality of the position of many of the near neighbours; he wants them to contribute to a peaceful solution, to a rebuild.”