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The White House has sought to secure the fear of a prolonged US military intervention in Gaza, insisting that Donald Trump’s plan would take control of the enclave does not necessarily mean setting “boots on earth”.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that while the president had made a “historic proposal for the United States to take over Gaza”, he had not “engaged” to send to US troops “only”.
“Been has become very clear to the President that the United States should be involved in this reconstruction effort,” she said Wednesday. “This does not mean boots on the ground in Gaza. It does not mean that US taxpayers will fund this effort.”
Leavitt’s comments come a day after Trump caused anger at the SH.BA and around the world with a proposal for the US to “take control” of the Palestinian enclave and that its entire population of 2.2MN must be restored.
Leavitt explained that the residents of the enclave would be “temporarily moved” while the bar has been rebuilt.
The idea was enthusiastically welcomed by Israeli officials, with the Minister of Defense Israel Katz, saying Thursday morning that he had led the army to prepare a plan to allow the Gazans to leave the shredded “voluntarily” enclave. Katz said this will include options for exit from land, sea and air, but did not provide further details.
However, Trump’s proposals fueled anger in the Arab world and provoked a hostile reaction from many to his SH.BA party, with some Republicans saying he was lost by his “first America” agenda and his criticism Long for US intervention in “foreign endless” wars.
“I thought we first voted for America,” said Rand Paul, a Republican senator from Kentucky. “We have no business that thinks another profession to condemn our treasure and shed the blood of our soldiers.”
Josh Hawley, a Republican senator from Missouri, echoed his concerns. “I don’t know that I think it’s the best use of the United States resources to spend a host of money in Gaza,” he told the internal Jews.
Lindsey Graham, a Republican Senator from South Carolina, described the plan as “problematic”. “I think most South Carolinas would probably not be excited about sending Americans to take over Gaza,” he said.
Trump’s cabinet members quickly sought to secure the US party and the public for the proposal, without providing specificity on how it would work.
State Secretary Marco Rubio said the President’s proposal was not intended as a hostile act “, but rather as an” offer to rebuild “.
“What he is offering very generously is the United States’s ability to get inside and help remove waste, help remove ammunition, help with rebuilding, rebuilding houses and businesses and things of this nature, in way people can go back inside, ”he said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump was “willing to think outside the box” on the matter, but refused to provide details whether the possible military involvement was under consideration.
“We look forward to working with our allies, our counterparts, both diplomatically and military, to see all the options, but we would certainly not get before the president or provide details about what we can or cannot do,” He said.
Democrats, meanwhile, accused Trump of supporting the “ethnic cleansing” in the enclave and accused the president of abandoning US voters’ needs to send funds to a distant region.
“He simply said it will be American politics to forcibly relocate 2 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip,” said Chris Van Hollen, a Democratic senator from Maryland. “This is ethnic cleansing with another name.”
Democratic Congressman Rashida Tlaib said: “It is completely good by interrupting Americans working from federal funds while funds for the Israeli government continue to flow.”