Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday referred to the “day after” in Gaza, stating that his upcoming visit to the Gulf aims to explore an alternative plan proposed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which would replace President Donald Trump’s plan.
Secretary Rubio stressed that if these Arab nations fail to present a concrete proposal, Israel would be forced to act independently. “All the countries in the region say how much they care about the Palestinians, but none of them want to take them,” Rubio said. “If the Arab countries have a better plan for Gaza, that’s great. But obviously, any plan that leaves Hamas there will be a problem.”
Meanwhile, an Air Force plane carrying Secretary Rubio and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Jim Risch to Germany for the Munich Security Conference was forced to return to Washington late Thursday due to a mechanical issue.
Rubio told reporters on Thursday that the United States was eager to hear new proposals from Arab states on Gaza, following President Donald Trump’s plan to transfer the entire population of the Strip.
“Hopefully they’re going to have a really good plan to present the president,” Rubio said of Arab states. He said the Arab states were “working in good faith,” but “if the countries in the region can’t figure that piece out, then Israel is going to have to do it, and then we’re back to where we’ve been,” he said.
Diplomats say that Egypt is leading efforts to present an alternative to Trump’s plan within weeks. The Egyptian proposal would involve training a new security force in Gaza and identifying local leaders to take charge.
So, not something Trump would likely accept.
In an interview with Fox News earlier this week, President Trump stated that the two million residents he intends to move from Gaza to neighboring countries would not have the right to return to the Strip. When asked if they could return to Gaza after its reconstruction, Trump said: “No, they wouldn’t because they’re going to have much better housing. In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them… Because if they have to return now it will be years before it could happen. It is not habitable.”
