Several top US government officials have backtracked on President Donald Trump’s proposals regarding taking control of Gaza and permanently relocating Palestinians to neighboring countries, following widespread criticism and opposition from Middle Eastern nations.
Trump stated on Tuesday that the US would “assume control” of Gaza and resettle Palestinians elsewhere as part of an ambitious redevelopment plan that he claimed could transform the region into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
“The US will assume control of the Gaza Strip and we will also oversee its development. We will take ownership,” Trump declared at the White House following discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, altering decades of US policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified on Wednesday that the proposal “was not intended to be hostile,” characterizing it as an “offer to reconstruct and manage the reconstruction” and a “generous gesture.”
Simultaneously, Rubio walked back Trump’s previous assertion that Palestinians in Gaza needed to be permanently resettled in neighboring countries, indicating that the notion was for them to leave the region for an “interim” period of reconstruction and clearing debris.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later praised Trump’s Gaza proposal as groundbreaking and “creative” but emphasized that Washington would not finance Gaza’s reconstruction after over 15 months of Israeli conflict and that their involvement “does not involve sending troops.”
“It is currently a site of destruction. It is not a habitable place for any individual,” she explained. Leavitt added that Trump had made it “very clear” that he anticipated Egypt, Jordan, and others “to temporarily accept Palestinian refugees so that we can rebuild their homes.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended Trump’s proposal during an interview with Fox News on Wednesday evening, labeling it as “the first positive idea that I have heard.”
“It is an extraordinary concept, and I believe it should be explored, pursued, and implemented, as it will create a different future for everyone,” he stated.
However, Netanyahu also suggested that it did not necessitate Palestinians leaving the region permanently. “They can depart, they can then return, they can relocate and return, but Gaza needs to be rebuilt,” he said.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the army on Thursday to draft a plan allowing Gaza residents to leave the region, as reported by Israeli media.
‘Equivalent to ethnic cleansing’
The United Nations cautioned that “any forced displacement of people would be equivalent to ethnic cleansing.”
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated in a speech to a UN committee addressing Palestinian rights that “at its core, the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people revolves around the right of Palestinians to simply exist as humans in their own land.”
Palestinian officials and Arab leaders vehemently rejected Trump’s proposal, asserting that any forced displacement of Palestinians would be unacceptable.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II claimed that the plan “would constitute a serious breach of international law, obstruct the two-state solution, and pose a major destabilizing force” for their nations.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced that the Kingdom opposed any efforts to displace Palestinians from their land “in a clear and explicit manner,” according to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The establishment of a Palestinian state is a firm, unwavering stance,” the ministry explained in a detailed statement released on X on Wednesday.
Hamas denounced Trump’s concept as a “recipe for creating chaos” and asserted that the residents of Gaza would never tolerate being displaced.
Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, criticized “any initiatives” aimed at displacing the people of Gaza, asserting that they remain “an integral part of the State of Palestine.”
Residents in Gaza also rejected the notion that they could be forcibly removed from their land. Fathi Abu al-Saeed, a 72-year-old resident of Khan Younis, told Al Jazeera that he would remain steadfast by his demolished home.
“Do you see that heap of useless debris?” he asked, pointing to a destroyed house with his cane. “That is more valuable to me than the United States and everything within it.”
Over 15 months of incessant bombardment have reduced Gaza to ruins and resulted in the deaths of over 61,000 Palestinians. Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is largely credited with helping broker a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel on January 19. Talks are currently underway to extend the ceasefire.
