Washington:
By proposing “taking charge” of Gaza, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, not only surprised the world, but also left the American long -standing policy to support a Palestinian state.
The president, known for the provocative statements, spoke on Tuesday of permanently displacing the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip devastated by the war, expressing his desire to transform the Palestinian territory into “the Riviera del Middle East.”
His comments caused the world protest on Wednesday, particularly in the Arab world, since they seemed to challenge the right of the Palestinians to self -determination, and critics denounce it as a possible “ethnic cleaning.”
The Republican billionaire, who portrays himself as pragmatic with a transactional approach to foreign policy, has not ruled out the sending of troops to the region.
Read: “American taxpayers will finance this”: how Trump plans to take care of Gaza
The White House quickly moved on Wednesday to moderate their comments. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt clarified that the United States would not “finance” the reconstruction in Gaza and had not “committed” to send troops.
The Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking from Guatemala, defended Trump’s intentions: “It was understood as, I believe, a very generous movement: the offer to rebuild and be in charge of reconstruction.”
He also said that Trump only wants the Palestinians to leave Gaza temporarily while rebuilding the territory.
Negotiate tactic or distraction?
It was not clear if the president floated his proposal as a negotiation tactic or a distraction, since Israel and Hamas prepare to negotiate the second phase of the high fire agreement that entered into force on January 19.
This second phase aims to ensure the release of remaining hostages and achieve a definitive end of the war caused by Hamas attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.
Read: The UN chief warns against Gaza “ethnic cleaning” after Trump comments
“Trump’s comments on the relocation of Palestinians would almost guarantee a broader regional conflict if the idea pursues,” said Sina Toossi, of the International Policy Center, noting that “destroying the policy of the United States of long data in a solution in a solution of two states in a solution of two states.
“In the short term, a key question is whether Trump will press (the Israeli leader Benjamin) Netanyahu to complete Restart the war. “
The events that took place on Tuesday during Washington’s visit of the Israeli prime minister were notable at multiple levels.
Trump’s advisors, the envoy of the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and national security advisor Mike Waltz, initially questioned the viability of Gaza’s reconstruction, noting that the Palestinian territory would be uninhabitable for years.
Oh really?
Trump, who had already caused controversy 10 days before with his suggestion of “simply cleaning” Gaza, said that the Palestinians “would love to” leave the territory, which he described as a “demolition site.”
He later received a radiant Netanyahu in the White House, emphasizing the need to relocate the Palestinians before unexpectedly propose “possession” of the Palestinian territory to be a “beautiful place.”
Read: “Strange, dangerous, unacceptable”: Jairam Ramesh in Trump’s Gaza Plan
Netanyahu, who opposes the creation of a Palestinian state, praised Trump as someone who “thinks outside the box.”
When making these statements, Trump, who rarely explicitly addresses the possibility of a Palestinian state, broke decades of Western foreign policy, which supports a solution of two states where Israel and Palestine coexist.
“It is very difficult to know how seriously take Trump’s comments, although they certainly seem to undermine the idea that their administration supports a solution of two states,” said Brian Finucane, a foreign policy expert from the United States in the international group of the international group of Crisis in Washington.
But he added that it did not seem that the Palestinians voluntarily abandon Gaza, nor the countries of the region would agree with that plan.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a feed union).
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