WASHINGTON/CAIRO: President Donald Trump’s top aides staunchly defended his push to transfer Palestinians out of Gaza and have the US take over the war-ruined enclave, but they also backed away from elements of his proposal in the face of international condemnation.
A longtime New York property developer, Trump drew rebukes on Wednesday from world powers Russia, China and Germany, which said it would foster “new suffering and new hatred.” Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia rejected the proposal outright.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Trump’s proposal was “remarkable” and urged that it be explored, even as he was not specific about what he believed Trump was offering.
Barely two weeks in the job, Trump shattered decades of US policy on Tuesday with a vaguely worded announcement saying he envisioned transforming Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East” where international communities could coexist after nearly 16 months of Israeli bombardment devastated the coastal strip and killed more than 47,000 people, according to Palestinian tallies.
At a White House briefing on Wednesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt hailed his Gaza proposal as historic “outside of the box” thinking but stressed that the president had not committed to putting “boots on the ground” in the territory. She declined, however, to rule out the use of US troops there.
At the same time, Leavitt walked back Trump’s earlier assertion that Gazans needed to be permanently resettled in neighboring countries, saying instead that they should be “temporarily relocated” for the rebuilding process.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said the idea was for Gazans to leave the territory for an “interim” period of reconstruction and debris-clearing.
In an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu only vaguely addressed Trump’s proposal, saying he did not believe the president was suggesting sending US troops to fight Hamas in Gaza or that the United States would finance rebuilding efforts there.
Netanyahu, who met with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, said he supports Trump’s suggestion that Gazans be free to leave and return to the war-ravaged area.
“They can leave, they can then come back. They can relocate and come back,” he said.
“It’s a remarkable idea and I think it should be really pursued, examined, pursued and done, because I think it will create a different future for everyone,” Netanyahu said without offering specifics.
It was unclear whether Trump would go ahead with his proposal or, in keeping with his self-image as a shrewd dealmaker, was simply laying out an extreme position as a bargaining ploy. His first term was replete with what critics said were over-the-top foreign policy pronouncements, many of which were never implemented.
Trump’s son-in-law and former aide, Jared Kushner, last year described Gaza as valuable waterfront property, and on Tuesday Trump made similar claims as he called for the permanent resettlement of the more than 2 million Palestinians from there.
Some experts said the proposed actions could violate international law. Others described his ideas as unworkable. Human rights advocates said it would amount to “ethnic cleansing.”
“Everybody loves it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office earlier on Wednesday, referring to his Gaza idea.
Trump’s proposal, however, appears to run counter to US public opinion, which polls have shown is overwhelmingly opposed to new entanglements in conflict zones following lengthy military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Trump frequently asserted during the 2024 election campaign and since returning to office that he would end what he called “ridiculous” wars and prevent others from starting.
His Gaza proposal drew broad condemnation from Democratic lawmakers but confusion and skepticism from some fellow Republicans, while others praised the moves as bold.
“I thought we voted for America first,” Republican Senator Rand Paul said on X. “We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers blood.”
On a trip to Guatemala, Rubio, apparently seeking to counter the wave of global criticism, insisted Trump’s proposal was not a hostile move but a generous one that expressed “the willingness of the United States to become responsible for the reconstruction of that area.”
In contrast, Leavitt said US taxpayers would not foot the bill and that Trump would strike a deal with regional partners.
‘TRUMP CAN GO TO HELL’
Jordan’s King Abdullah, who will meet Trump at the White House next week, said he rejected any moves to annex land and displace Palestinians. Egypt said it would back Gaza recovery plans, following a ceasefire that took effect on Jan. 19, without Palestinians leaving the territory.
In Gaza, Palestinians living among the wreckage of their former homes said they would never accept the idea.
“Trump can go to hell, with his ideas, with his money, and with his beliefs. We are going nowhere. We are not some of his assets,” said Samir Abu Basel, a father of five in Gaza City displaced from his house by the war.
Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has talked about a US takeover of Greenland, warned of the possible seizure of the Panama Canal and declared that Canada should become the 51st US state.
Some critics have said his expansionist rhetoric echoes old-style imperialism, suggesting it could encourage Russia in its war in Ukraine and give China justification for invading self-ruled Taiwan.
