GUATEMALA CITY After American allies and even Republican senators rejected his proposal that the United States take possession of the territory, President Donald Trump’s chief diplomat and spokeswoman on Wednesday retracted his call for the permanent evacuation of Palestinians from Gaza.
As part of a vast reconstruction effort, Trump on Tuesday called for the permanent relocation of Palestinians from war-torn Gaza and left open the possibility of sending American troops there. He merely aimed to temporarily relocate the approximately 1.8 million Gazans to make room for reconstruction, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Both the Arab countries that Trump has urged to take them in and Palestinians, who fear they might never be allowed back in if they leave, have criticized even that idea.
After 15 months of conflict between Israel and Hamas, Rubio called Trump’s pledge to assist with debris removal and enclave rehabilitation a “very generous offer” during his first international tour as secretary of state.
“Obviously, people will have to live somewhere while you’re rebuilding it in the interim,” Rubio stated during a press conference in Guatemala City.
Using video of the destruction as support, Leavitt told reporters in Washington that Gaza is a demolition site.
She claimed that the president has made it obvious that they must leave Gaza for a short time, describing it as an uninhabitable location for people at the moment and claiming that it would be wicked to advocate for people to live in such terrible conditions.
Trump remarked Tuesday night, “If we can get a beautiful area to resettle people, permanently, in nice homes where they can be happy and not be shot and not be killed and not be knifed to death like what’s happening in Gaza,” which was in direct opposition to what they had indicated. He went on to say that he hoped the land, which is located near the Mediterranean Sea, will be redeveloped under long-term U.S. control.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the military is ready to consider every possibility for rebuilding Gaza at a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Pentagon on Wednesday.
We are eager to examine all alternatives in collaboration with our friends and colleagues, both militarily and diplomatically, Hegseth stated.
Trump has been warned by Egypt, Jordan, and other U.S. allies in the Middle East that forcing Palestinians out of Gaza would jeopardize regional peace, run the risk of escalating the conflict, and sabotage decades of U.S. and allied efforts to achieve a two-state solution.
In a scathing response to Trump, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry stated that its long-standing demand for an independent Palestinian state was a firm, steady, and uncompromising stance. In exchange for a security agreement and other conditions, Saudi Arabia and the United States have been negotiating a deal for Saudi Arabia to diplomatically recognize Israel.
According to the Saudi statement, it is the responsibility of the international community to try to lessen the extreme human suffering that the Palestinian people are going through. They will not give up on their territory.
Even Trump friend and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham described it as troubling.
The politician from South Carolina told reporters Wednesday that every senator is against the concept of Americans landing on the ground in Gaza. In order to create a Palestinian state that Israel can coexist with, I would advise that we return to our previous goals of eliminating Hamas and figuring out how the Arab world can annex Gaza and the West Bank.
Rubio said that Trump’s stance was not intended to be unfriendly.
The United States has kindly volunteered to help with the removal of debris, the removal of munitions, reconstruction, the rebuilding of homes and businesses, and other things so that people can return to their homes, Rubio said.
Nevertheless, the White House claimed that Trump was not considering providing US funding for Gaza’s reconstruction.
Leavitt, like Trump, stated that he wants to maintain that negotiating advantage and would not rule out the possibility of deploying American soldiers into Gaza.
In defiance of decades of U.S. policy advocating for the establishment of a Palestinian state with no further displacement of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, the Palestinians, Arab countries, and others have opposed even a temporary evacuation from Gaza.
Additionally, it seems that the plans undermine months of efforts by the Biden administration to produce a plan for Gaza’s government and rehabilitation. Before he left office, President Joe Biden invited Trump’s principal Mideast envoy to final negotiations over a truce in Gaza in an attempt to lock in that proposal, which calls for the Palestinian Authority to manage the territory jointly under U.N. leadership and a multi-national peacekeeping force.
Zeke Miller and Matthew Lee/The Associated Press
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From Washington, Miller reported. Contributions came from AP writers Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Farnoush Amiri, Tara Copp, and Rebecca Santana in Washington.
