President Donald Trump’s proposal that the United States “take over” the Gaza Strip and permanently resettle its Palestinian residents was swiftly rejected and denounced on Wednesday by American allies and adversaries alike.
Trump’s suggestion came at a White House news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who smiled several times as the president detailed a plan to build new settlements for Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip, and for the U.S. to take “ownership” in redeveloping the war-torn territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
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“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” Trump said. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs.”
His remarks drew swift opposition and were certain to roil the ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel.
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Here's the latest:
Palestinian Islamic Jihad group denounces Trump's ‘racist’ comments
CAIRO — The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group has denounced Trump’s “racist comments,” vowing to fight the U.S. president's plans in Gaza.
The group said in a statement that Israel’s bombing campaign had failed to force Palestinians to leave Gaza, and that Trump’s “recent comments won’t succeed in transferring them.”
The group vowed to fight against any plans to transfer the Palestinians out of their territories.
“Our Palestinian people always have the resistance option, which they have practiced for more than a century,” it said.
Egyptian and Palestinian officials call to rebuild Gaza without forcing out Palestinians
CAIRO — Egypt's foreign minister and the Palestinian prime minister on Wednesday called to rebuild Gaza without forcing out its Palestinians residents.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamad Mustafa provided “an integrated vision” to remove the rubble and rebuild Gaza in cooperation with international groups, according to an Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement after Mustafa met with Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Cairo.
The statement did not address Trump’s remarks directly but said both sides called to accelerate rebuilding and the delivery of aid “without moving the Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip.”
Turkish foreign minister says Trump's Gaza comments are ‘unacceptable’
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said President Donald Trump’s comments on the Gaza Strip were “unacceptable.”
Fidan, in an interview with the state-run Anadolu Agency on Wednesday, said the past displacement of Palestinians from their lands and the settlement of Israelis in those areas was the root cause of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“The issue of deportations from Gaza is not something that either the region or we would accept. Even thinking about it, in my opinion, is wrong and absurd,” he said.
Fidan added there is a general consensus for a two-state solution, with East Jerusalem as the capital of a sovereign Palestinian state.
Fidan also reiterated his concern that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could resume attacks on Gaza following the release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas and questioned how effective countries involved in maintaining the ceasefire would be.
“We need to see what kind of stance or sanctions the guarantor countries might take. Among the countries guaranteeing the ceasefire, the only one that can exert significant pressure on Israel is the United States,” Fidan said.
China says it opposes the forced relocation of people in Gaza
BEIJING — China opposes the forced relocation of people in Gaza, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday in Beijing when asked about Trump’s comments.
“China has always believed that Palestinian rule is the basic principle of post-war governance in Gaza,” said spokesperson Lin Jian.
He reiterated Beijing’s longstanding support of a two-state solution in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
US House Speaker praises Trump's remarks as taking ‘bold action’
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, praised Trump’s remarks as taking a “bold action in hopes of achieving lasting peace in Gaza.”
“We are hopeful this brings much needed stability and security to the region,” he wrote on X.
Houthi leader says Trump's Gaza plan represents ‘American arrogance’
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An official with Yemen’s Houthi rebels has criticized President Donald Trump’s comments on the Gaza Strip.
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a Houthi leader, wrote on the social platform X that Trump’s remarks represented “American arrogance” that will subsume all if it is met with “submission from the Arabs.”
“If Egypt or Jordan or both decide to challenge America, Yemen will stand with all its strength by its side, to the furthest extent and without red lines,” he added.
The Houthis launched attacks on Israel and commercial shipping running through the Red Sea corridor during the Israel-Hamas war. Its attacks have stopped with the ceasefire in the war, but transits through the Suez Canal, crucial to Egypt’s economy, halved during its campaign.
Rubio backs Trump's comments on the Gaza Strip
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has backed President Donald Trump’s comments on the Gaza Strip.
“Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas," Rubio wrote on the social platform X.
“The United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again,” Rubio wrote in a play on Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan. “Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people.”
However, the comments by Trump drew immediate criticism from Saudi Arabia and others in the Mideast, which long has advocated for the Palestinians to have an independent state of their own in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with east Jerusalem as its capital.