The Ultimate Guide to US appears to backtrack as Trump Gaza plan sparks global outcry

The Ultimate Guide to US appears to backtrack as Trump Gaza plan sparks global outcry

WASHINGTON, D.C. — 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 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.
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 act that can neither be justified nor condoned. It must not happen, Macron said in a statement released by his office.
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.
In the midst of these difficult circumstances, it is our duty to provide support to enable the reconstruction of Gaza, he said.
In Washington, Netanyahu hailed Trump as Israel's greatest friend and praised his willingness to think outside the box.
The Israeli premier would not rule out renewed fighting with Hamas or its regional allies, including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iran.
We will end the war by winning the war, Netanyahu said, vowing to secure the release of all hostages held in Gaza.
He expressed confidence that a deal with Saudi Arabia to normalise relations was going to happen.
But Riyadh said it would not formalise ties with Israel without a Palestinian state and rejected any attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land.
The European Union stressed that Gaza is an integral part of a future Palestinian state.

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