White House makes a 'u-turn', Trump's proposal for the US to take over Gaza is not permanent, only temporary
Agencies
06/02/2025
Rubio (left) described Trump's proposal as a "very generous" offer while Leavitt claimed that the US president only wanted Palestinians to move out of Gaza for the time being. - AP Image
WASHINGTON: Yesterday, US President Donald Trump announced his intention to take over the Gaza Strip and manage the territory well.
In fact, Trump called for the permanent evacuation of Palestinians from war-torn Gaza and the possibility of American troops being deployed there as part of a massive reconstruction operation.
Following the proposal, Trump received criticism from all over the world so that some argued that what the US President voiced was 'crazy' and absurd. American allies and Republican lawmakers rejected Trump's suggestion the US should take "ownership" of the territory.
Seeing the sentiment that is not in favor of the United States, the country's top diplomat issued a statement saying that Trump only wants to temporarily evacuate Palestinians from Gaza
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump only wanted to temporarily evacuate about 1.8 million Gazans to allow reconstruction work to take place.
The proposal itself has drawn criticism from Palestinians who fear they may not be allowed to return if they move as well as from Arab countries that Trump hopes to receive them.
Rubio, in his first foreign visit as Secretary of State, described Trump's proposal as a "very generous" offer to help in the cleanup of rubble and the reconstruction of Gaza after 15 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas.
"During the transition period, of course people will have to stay somewhere while Gaza is being rebuilt," Rubio told a news conference in Guatemala City.
Leavitt, in a briefing with reporters in Washington, said Gaza is now a "site of destruction" and referred to footage of destruction there.
"The president has made it clear that they need to be temporarily evacuated from Gaza," he said, describing the territory as a "place that cannot be inhabited by humans" and calling it "cruel to suggest that people should live in such terrible conditions."
Their statement contradicted what Trump had said the day before.
"If we can provide a beautiful area to permanently house them in a comfortable home, where they can live happily without being shot, without being killed, without being stabbed to death like what is happening in Gaza."
Trump also said he envisioned "long-term ownership" of the US in the redevelopment of the territory located along the Mediterranean Sea.
Egypt, Jordan and other U.S. allies in the Middle East have warned Trump that the evacuation of Palestinians from Gaza would only threaten the region's stability, risk escalating the conflict, and jeopardize years of efforts by the U.S. and its allies to find a two-state solution.
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry reacted to Trump's remarks by emphasizing his consistent stance in calling for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
"The responsibility of the international community today is to work to alleviate the severe suffering experienced by the Palestinian people, who will stick to their land and will not turn away from it," Saudi Arabia said in a statement.
Even Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican and Trump ally, described the proposal as "problematic."
"The idea that American troops will enter Gaza is something impossible for every senator," the politician from South Carolina told reporters on Wednesday.
"I suggest that we go back to the original effort of destroying Hamas and find a way for the Arab world to take over Gaza and the West Bank in a way that could lead to the formation of a Palestinian state acceptable to Israel."
Rubio stressed Trump's proposal "is not intended as a hostile act."
"What he has generously offered is the ability of the United States to help in the cleanup of rubble, the disposal of weapons waste, the reconstruction of homes, businesses and other things so that the people can go back there," Rubio said.
However, the White House stated that Trump rejected the possibility of sending US funds to help rebuild Gaza.
But Leavitt, like Trump, refused to rule out the possibility of sending American troops to Gaza, insisting Trump "wants to maintain that influence in negotiations."
Palestinians, Arab states and others have rejected the proposed temporary evacuation from Gaza, which goes against decades of U.S. policy that supports the creation of a Palestinian state without further evacuation of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank.
The proposal also ignores months of negotiations by the Joe Biden administration to draw up a "post-war" plan for the reconstruction and rule of Gaza.
President Joe Biden has sought to set out the plan — which calls for joint government of the territory by the Palestinian Authority under the supervision of the United Nations (UN) as well as an international peacekeeping force — before he leaves office, inviting Trump's top envoy to West Asia to participate in final negotiations on a ceasefire in Gaza. - Agency
