Washington [US], February 6: President Donald Trump's top aides staunchly defended his proposal for the U.S. to take over war-ruined Gaza and create a "Riviera of the Middle East" after relocating Palestinians elsewhere.
A longtime New York property developer, Trump drew rebukes on Wednesday from world powers Russia, China and Germany, which said it would foster "new suffering and new hatred." Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia rejected the proposal outright.
Barely two weeks in the job, Trump shattered decades of U.S. policy on Tuesday with a vaguely worded announcement saying he envisioned building a resort where international communities could live in harmony after nearly 16 months of Israeli bombardment devastated the coastal enclave and killed more than 47,000 people, according to Palestinian tallies.
At a White House briefing on Wednesday, his press secretary Karoline Leavitt hailed his Gaza proposal as "historic" and "outside of the box" thinking but stressed that the president had not made a commitment to putting "boots on the ground" in the Palestinian enclave. She declined, however, to rule out potential use of U.S. troops there.
At the same time, Leavitt backed away from Trump's earlier assertion that Gazans needed to be permanently resettled in neighboring countries, saying instead that they should be "temporarily relocated" for the rebuilding process.
It was unclear whether Trump would go ahead with his proposal or was simply taking an extreme position as a bargaining strategy, as he has done on other issues in the past.
Trump's son-in-law and former aide, Jared Kushner, last year described Gaza as "valuable" waterfront property, and on Tuesday Trump made similar claims as he called for the permanent resettlement of more than two million Palestinians from there.
Some experts said the proposed actions could violate international law. Others described his ideas as unworkable.
On a trip to Guatemala, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, apparently seeking to counter the wave of global criticism, insisted Trump's proposal was not a "hostile move" but instead expressed "the willingness of the United States to become responsible for the reconstruction of that area."
Trump offered no specifics as he announced his proposal while welcoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House on Tuesday. He said he and his team had been discussing the possibility with Jordan, Egypt and other regional countries.
Netanyahu, who met on Wednesday with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, would not be drawn into discussing the proposal, other than to praise Trump for trying a new approach.
Jordan's King Abdullah said on Wednesday he rejected any moves to annex land and displace Palestinians. Egypt said it would back Gaza recovery plans, following a ceasefire that took effect on Jan. 19, without Palestinians leaving the territory.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
