Trump said the United States would “take over” Gaza last night. In what would be a shocking break from decades of U.S. policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the president further suggested that the nearly two-million-strong population of Palestinians in Gaza be permanently removed to other countries, and refused to rule out deploying U.S. troops. The comments came amid a White House visit from Netanyahu that was slated to focus on a cease-fire deal in the territory. Earlier in the day, Trump said the United States would continue the Joe Biden administration’s policy of withholding funding for the UN agency that provides aid to Palestinian refugees....Read Full Article >>➤
Trump defended his new proposal on the grounds that much of the territory has been destroyed in the current war. But it flew against the stances of Palestinians and many U.S. Arab allies, and international law prohibits attempts to forcibly transfer populations.
Global reactions. Comments on Trump’s proposal quickly poured in, with far-right Israeli politicians among the few to celebrate it.
Netanyahu said the idea was “worth paying attention to,” and Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, praised Trump for his “out of the box ideas” on Gaza, saying that the enclave “in its current form has no future.”
The Palestinian Authority rejected “all calls for displacement of Palestinian people from their homeland,” a senior advisor to its president said.
Saudi Arabia’s support of the “establishment of a Palestinian state is firm and unwavering,” the foreign ministry said, adding that the country rejects “any infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”
Mideast nations such as Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey condemned Trump’s remarks.
Countries farther afield, ranging from China to France to the United Kingdom, said they still backed a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said: “We’ll see what our Arab friends say about that. I think most South Carolinians would probably not be excited about sending Americans to take over Gaza. It might be problematic.”
A Hamas spokesperson called the proposal “a recipe for creating chaos and tension” in the Middle East.
Cease-fire in limbo. Stakeholders to the long-sought cease-fire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas are weighing its potential second phase. The first phase—in which Hamas would release thirty-three hostages in exchange for more than a thousand Palestinian prisoners—is only partway complete, with thirteen hostages freed so far. A previously released outline of stage two includes a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, a withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the swap of Hamas’s remaining hostages for more prisoners.
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