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LAST UPDATE | 5 Feb
THE WHITE HOUSE has appeared to walk back elements of US President Donald Trump’s shock plan to remove Palestinians from Gaza and launch a takeover of the devastated territory.
A day after Trump said “the US will take over” and “own” Gaza and that Palestinians would “go to other countries,” the administration sought to downplay expectations.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any transfer of Gazans would be temporary, while the White House insisted there was no commitment to sending US troops.
Trump, however, insisted “everybody loves” the plan, which he announced to audible gasps during a White House press conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Today, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Republican leader wanted Palestinians to be only “temporarily relocated” out of Gaza instead of permanently resettled in Arab-majority states like Egypt.
She also said the rebuilding of Gaza would not be paid for by the United States and that US troops were not likely to be sent.
“It’s been made very clear to the president that the United States needs to be involved in this rebuilding effort to ensure stability in the region for all people,” she said.
However, “that does not mean boots on the ground in Gaza, it does not mean American taxpayers will be funding this effort.”
She said Trump has 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.”
“It’s a demolition site right now. It’s not a livable place for any human being,” she said.
Asked if the deployment of US troops into Gaza was being ruled out, Leavitt said: “The president has not committed to that just yet.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed the revised message, saying Trump’s idea “was not meant as hostile. It was meant as, I think, a very generous move – the offer to rebuild and to be in charge of the rebuilding.”
Trump wants to support “rebuilding homes and businesses and things of this nature, so that then people can move back in,” Rubio told reporters on a visit to Guatemala.
Trump’s surprise announcement on Tuesday sparked intense pushback from Palestinian leadership and governments in the region and in Europe.
It comes in the context of mediated negotiations between Israel and militant group Hamas to reach the “second phase” of a ceasefire deal that would bring a more permanent end to the devastating war in Gaza.
The United Nations 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.
Stephane Dujarric, previewing the UN chief’s speech, told reporters: “Any forced displacement of people is tantamount to ethnic cleansing.”
Presidents Emmanuel Macron of France and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt 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.
For Palestinians, any attempt to push them out of Gaza recalls the “Nakba”, or “catastrophe” – the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s creation in 1948.
Israelis in Jerusalem largely welcomed Trump’s proposal, though some doubted it could be carried out.
“I really like what he said, but in my wildest dreams… it’s hard for me to believe it will happen, but who knows,” said Refael, a 65-year-old massage therapist.
Egypt and Jordan have rejected any resettlement from Gaza. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called for a swift reconstruction “without the Palestinians leaving”.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II, meeting with Abbas, rejected “any attempts” to take control of Palestinian territories and displace people.
Need more information on what is happening in Israel and Palestine? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to navigating the news online.
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