By Andrew Bernard
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, stated several times during the press briefing on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump has not committed to deploying American soldiers to Gaza.
Trump announced on Tuesday that the United States would “take over,” “own” and “be responsible for” the reconstruction of Gaza. During the explosive press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said that the United States would redevelop Gaza’s waterfront as “the riviera of the Middle East.” He also said that U.S. troops would deploy to Gaza “if it’s necessary.”
Leavitt clarified some of the president’s “outside of the box” thinking about rebuilding the Hamas-controlled enclave in the briefing on Wednesday.
“The president has not committed to putting boots on the ground in Gaza,” she said. “The president has not committed to that just yet.”
“He has also said that the United States is not going to pay for the rebuilding of Gaza,” she added. “His administration is going to work with our partners in the region to reconstruct this region.”
In an earlier meeting with reporters on Tuesday, Trump said that during the reconstruction of the Strip, Palestinians would be “permanently” resettled outside Gaza. Leavitt said on Wednesday that the plan for the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza would be temporary.
“The president has made it clear that they need to be temporarily relocated out of Gaza for the rebuilding of this effort,” she said. “It’s a demolition site right now. It’s not a livable place for any human being. I think it’s actually quite evil to suggest that people should live in such dire conditions.”
Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, told JNS that the Israeli delegation was taken by surprise at the scope of Trump’s announcement about taking “long-term ownership” of Gaza. But Leavitt said on Wednesday that Netanyahu knew about the proposal before Trump announced it to reporters.
“As for whether Prime Minister Netanyahu was aware before the president’s remarks, he was indeed,” Leavitt said. “This is something the president has been socializing and thinking about for quite some time.”
Despite the socialization of the plan, Leavitt said it only existed in written form in the remarks that Trump used on the podium on Tuesday.
“The plan was written in the president’s remarks last night, as he revealed it to the world and to the American people, and his team are continuing to be engaged on this effort,” she said.
Trump’s proposal has largely received a negative response even within his party.
“There’s probably a couple of kinks in that slinky,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told reporters. “Obviously, it’s not going to happen. I don’t know under what circumstance it would make sense.”
“I thought we voted for America First,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) stated, adding that the United States has “no business” occupying Gaza.
Most Democrats were even more negative, with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) calling the proposal “deranged” and “nuts.”
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was more sanguine about the proposal, saying that it was “provocative” but had to be “part of the conversation” because the Palestinians have been unable or unwilling to properly govern or develop Gaza.
Egypt, Jordan and other Arab countries in the region have publicly rejected the relocation proposal, but Leavitt told reporters that she believes that they would eventually give in to Trump’s negotiating position.
“The president has made it clear that he expects these nations in the region to step up and to accept Palestinian refugees, who will be temporarily relocated for the rebuilding of Gaza,” Leavitt said. “There’s been a lot of leaders and officials all around the world who have doubted, I suppose, the deal-making ability of President Trump.”
“Actions speak louder than words,” she added.
