US Officials Soften Stance on Trump’s Gaza Redevelopment Proposal Amid Global Backlash
Top US government officials have backtracked on key aspects of President Donald Trump’s proposal to take over Gaza and permanently resettle Palestinians in neighboring countries following widespread international condemnation and strong opposition from Middle Eastern nations.
On Tuesday, Trump announced an extraordinary redevelopment plan in which the US would “take over” Gaza and transform it into “the Riviera of the Middle East” after relocating Palestinians elsewhere.
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it,” Trump said at the White House after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, signaling a major departure from longstanding US policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified on Wednesday that the proposal was not intended as a hostile act but rather as an offer to oversee and finance Gaza’s reconstruction. He described it as a “generous move” and an effort to assist in rebuilding the war-torn enclave.
Rubio also walked back Trump’s previous assertion that Palestinians would be permanently relocated to neighboring countries, instead suggesting they would leave temporarily during reconstruction efforts.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later defended Trump’s proposal as a bold and historic initiative but emphasized that the US would not fund Gaza’s reconstruction and that its involvement would not include deploying American troops.
“It’s a demolition site right now. It’s not a livable place for any human being,” Leavitt said, adding that Trump had been “very clear” that Egypt, Jordan, and other nations would need to accept Palestinian refugees on a temporary basis.
On Thursday, Trump reiterated that Israel would hand over control of Gaza to the US after the fighting ended and reassured that no American troops would be involved.
“The Palestinians… would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the proposal in an interview with Fox News, calling it “the first good idea I’ve heard” and urging further discussion and examination. However, he also indicated that Palestinian displacement might not be permanent, stating, “They can leave, they can then come back, they can relocate and come back, but you have to rebuild Gaza.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to prepare a plan for allowing the departure of Gaza residents, according to Israeli media reports.
The United Nations strongly opposed any forced displacement of Palestinians, warning that such actions would constitute ethnic cleansing.
“At its essence, the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people is about the right of Palestinians to simply live as human beings in their own land,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
China also rejected Trump’s proposal, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stating that Gaza “is an integral part of Palestinian territory, not a political bargaining chip.”
Palestinian leaders and Arab nations have firmly opposed the plan. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned it would violate international law, undermine the two-state solution, and destabilize the region.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reaffirmed the Kingdom’s rejection of any forced displacement of Palestinians, emphasizing the necessity of establishing a Palestinian state.
Hamas condemned Trump’s plan as a “recipe for chaos”, vowing that Gazans would never allow their forced removal. Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas similarly rejected any effort to displace Palestinians from their homeland.
On the ground, residents of Gaza have also dismissed the idea of being forced out.
“You see that pile of useless rubble?” said 72-year-old Khan Younis resident Fathi Abu al-Saeed, pointing at his destroyed home. “That’s more precious than the United States and everything in it.”
After more than 15 months of relentless bombardment that has left Gaza in ruins and claimed over 61,000 Palestinian lives, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has been credited with brokering a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel on January 19. Talks are ongoing to extend the agreement.
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies