WASHINGTON, Feb 6 — President Donald Trump said today that “no soldiers by the US would be needed” in his Gaza proposal, days after he announced that the United States could “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip.
“No soldiers by the US would be needed! Stability for the region would reign!!!” he said in an early morning post on his Truth Social platform.
Earlier this week, Trump had announced while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visiting that “the US will take over the Gaza Strip.”
“We will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it,” he said to audible gasps during the press conference, offering few details on how the United States could remove more than two million Palestinians or control the war-battered territory.
His administration appeared to backtrack on this proposal by Wednesday after facing a wave of criticism from Palestinians, Arab governments and world leaders.
Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the idea “was not meant to be hostile,” while the White House said there was no commitment to sending US troops.
In his Thursday morning post, Trump said “the Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting.”
He added that the Palestinians “would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region.” — AFP
