US appears to backtrack as Trump Gaza plan sparks global outcry

US President Donald Trump’s administration appeared to backtrack Wednesday after his proposal to take over Gaza sparked uproar, with the United Nations warning against “ethnic cleansing” in the Palestinian territory.

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

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

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,” Leavitt said.

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.

Guterres’s spokesman 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.

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

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

Leavitt said Trump wanted Palestinians to be only “temporarily relocated” out of Gaza.

“It’s a demolition site right now. It’s not a liveable place for any human being,” she said.

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

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

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

– ‘We will remain’ –

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

But Leavitt later said he had been “very clear” that he expected Egypt, Jordan and others “to accept Palestinian refugees, temporarily, so that we can rebuild their home.”

Even before Tuesday’s explosive proposal, Trump 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, Netanyahu hailed Trump as Israel’s “greatest friend” and praised his “willingness to think outside the box”.

Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday night, he called Trump’s proposal “the first good idea that I’ve heard.”

“It’s a remarkable idea, and 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,” he said.

The Gaza war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 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 United Nations considers the figures reliable.