WASHINGTON (Reuters)

The United States does not support any forced relocation of Palestinians outside of Gaza and this is not something that Washington is pursuing or is on the table, U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a daily news briefing, Patel also said Washington was opposed to any re-occupation of Gaza by Israel.

He was responding to a question about comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telling ABC television Israel will “for an indefinite period” have the overall security responsibility for the Palestinian enclave.