US appears to backtrack as Trump’s Gaza plan sparks global outcry

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump’s administration appeared to backtrack on Feb 5 after his proposal to take over Gaza sparked uproar, with the UN chief

warning against “ethnic cleansing”

in the Palestinian territory.

Facing a wave of criticism from Palestinians, Arab governments and world leaders, Mr Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any transfer of Gazans would be temporary, while the White House stated there was

no commitment to sending US troops

.

But Mr Trump insisted “everybody loves” the plan, which he announced to audible gasps during a White House press conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Offering few details on how the US could remove more than two million Palestinians or control the war-battered territory, Mr Trump declared on Feb 4: “The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it.”

Mr Rubio said the idea “was not meant as hostile”, describing it as a “generous move – the offer to rebuild and to be in charge of the rebuilding”.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later said Washington would not fund Gaza’s reconstruction after more than 15 months of war between US ally Israel and Palestinian group Hamas.

US involvement “does not mean boots on the ground” or that “American taxpayers will be funding this effort”, Ms Leavitt said.

The UN warned against ethnic cleansing in Gaza.

“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,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a speech to a UN committee that deals with the rights of Palestinians.

Mr Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric, previewing the UN chief’s speech, told reporters: “Any forced displacement of people is tantamount to ethnic cleansing.”

French President Emmanuel Macron and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said any forced displacement of the Palestinians would be unacceptable.

“It would be a serious violation of international law, an obstacle to the two-state solution and a major destabilising force for Egypt and Jordan,” the two leaders said, according to a statement from the French President’s office.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei called it a “shocking” plan and “a continuation of the Zionist regime’s (Israel) targeted plan to completely annihilate the Palestinian nation”.

Palestinian officials, Arab leaders and rights groups swiftly condemned Mr Trump’s remarks.

Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in 2007, rejected the proposal, branding it “racist” and “aggressive”.

Ms Leavitt said Mr Trump wanted Palestinians to be only “temporarily relocated” out of Gaza. “It’s not a liveable place for any human being,” she said.

Israel’s military offensive in response to Hamas’ October 2023 attack has left much of Gaza reduced to rubble, including schools, hospitals and most civil infrastructure.

Rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the destruction of Gaza “reflects a calculated Israeli policy to make parts of the strip unliveable”.

Mr Trump’s proposed plan “would move the US from being complicit in war crimes to direct perpetration of atrocities”, HRW regional director Lama Fakih said.

The US President, who also suggested he might visit Gaza, appeared to imply it would not be rebuilt for Palestinians.

But Ms Leavitt later said Mr Trump had been “very clear” that “he expects our partners in the region, particularly Egypt and Jordan, to accept Palestinian refugees, temporarily, so that we can rebuild their home”.

Even before the explosive proposal on Feb 4, he had suggested residents of Gaza should move to Egypt and Jordan. Palestinians, however, have vowed to stay on.

“They can do whatever they want, but we will remain steadfast in our homeland,” said 41-year-old Gaza resident Ahmed Halasa.

‘Winning’

In Washington, Mr Netanyahu hailed Mr Trump as Israel’s “greatest friend” and praised his “willingness to think outside the box”.

Speaking to Fox News on the night of Feb 5, he called Mr Trump’s proposal “remarkable” and “the first good idea that I’ve heard”.

“I think it should be really pursued, examined, pursued and done, because I think it will create a different future for everyone.”

But he also suggested it did not mean Palestinians leaving the territory forever.

“They can leave, they can then come back, they can relocate and come back, but you have to rebuild Gaza.”

The Gaza war began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory response has killed at least 47,518 people in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s Health Ministry. The UN considers the figures reliable. AFP