Trump's allies are responding cautiously to the plan concerning the Gaza Strip, according to Reuters.

Assistants to President Donald Trump strongly defended his aim to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and establish control over the war-torn enclave. However, they retreated from some aspects of his proposal due to international condemnation.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing Reuters.

Last year, Trump's son-in-law and former advisor Jared Kushner referred to Gaza as a "valuable" coastal territory. On Tuesday, February 4, Trump made similar statements, calling for the permanent relocation of more than 2 million Palestinians from the area.

Some experts stated that the proposed actions could violate international law. Others described his ideas as impractical. Human rights advocates argued that this would amount to ethnic cleansing.

At the same time, the agency writes that Trump's statements contradict public opinion in the U.S. Polls indicate that the public is against new interventions in conflict zones following prolonged military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Decisive Proposal

During the 2024 election campaign and after returning to office, Trump frequently claimed that he would end what he calls "meaningless" wars and would not allow new ones to begin.

During a visit to Guatemala, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, evidently seeking to counter a wave of global criticism, insisted that Trump's proposal regarding the Gaza Strip was not a "hostile move" but a generous one, expressing "the United States' readiness to take responsibility for the reconstruction of this territory."

In contrast, White House Press Secretary Carolina Levitt stated that American taxpayers would not foot the bill and that Trump would negotiate an agreement with regional partners.

On Wednesday, February 5, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance. During their dialogue, he refrained from discussing this proposal, instead praising Trump for attempting a new approach.

Two-State Solution Still Valid

World leaders have stated that they remain supporters of a two-state solution for administering the enclave - Israel and the Palestinian Authority. This approach has been the cornerstone of U.S. policy in the region for decades. According to it, Gaza would be part of a future Palestinian state, which would also include the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz denied any notion on Wednesday that the U.S. is moving away from its long-standing policy in the Middle East. "I certainly didn’t hear the President say that this is the end of the two-state solution," he said in an interview with CBS News.

Middle East Skepticism

Meanwhile, governments in the Middle Eastern region do not support Trump's proposal.

Jordan's King Abdullah stated that he rejects any steps toward annexing land and relocating Palestinians. Egypt announced it would support reconstruction plans for the Gaza Strip after the ceasefire that came into effect on January 19.

A representative of the Palestinian militant group Hamas described Trump's proposal as "ridiculous and absurd."

"Any ideas of this sort could ignite the region," said Sami Abu Zuhri in an interview with Reuters, asserting that Hamas remains committed to the ceasefire agreement with Israel and is negotiating its next phase.

Trump's proposal raises the question of whether Saudi Arabia will join renewed U.S.-mediated efforts for historical normalization of relations with Israel. Trump would like Saudi Arabia to follow the path of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which signed the Abraham Accords in 2020 and normalized relations with Israel.

However, Riyadh has stated that it will not establish ties with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state. This contradicts Trump's assertion that Saudi Arabia does not require the establishment of a Palestinian homeland in the enclave.

On Wednesday, the Kingdom's Foreign Ministry declared that Saudi Arabia rejects any attempts to evict Palestinians from their land and stated that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman confirmed this position "clearly and unequivocally."

Israel and UN Positions

Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultra-right Israeli lawmaker and former Minister of National Security, asserted that "encouraging" Gaza residents to emigrate is the only correct strategy at the end of the war in the Gaza Strip, urging Netanyahu to "immediately" approve this policy.

At the same time, a former intelligence officer and one of Israel's leading experts on Hamas, Michael Milstein, noted that Trump's comments put Israel on a collision course with its Arab neighbors.

"Perhaps Trump is trying to pressure Arab countries not to create any obstacles if he attempts to facilitate normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel."

UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged Trump to avoid ethnic cleansing.

"In seeking solutions, we must not exacerbate the problem. It is vital to remain true to the foundations of international law. It is important to avoid any forms of ethnic cleansing," he said.

Meanwhile, residents of Gaza stated that after the war and the bombs that failed to drive them out of Gaza, Trump will not succeed either.

U.S. President's Plan for the Gaza Strip

On Tuesday, February 4, Donald Trump announced that he plans to turn the Gaza Strip into the "Riviera of the Middle East," where international communities could live in harmony after nearly 16 months of Israeli bombings devastated the coastal enclave.

Trump's special envoy to the Middle East Stephen Witkoff did not rule out the forced relocation of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified that the idea is for Gaza residents to leave the territory during a "transitional" period of reconstruction and debris clearance.

White House representative Carolina Levitt referred to the Gaza proposal as "historic" and "unconventional" during a press conference on Wednesday. However, she emphasized that the president has not committed to "deploying troops" in the Palestinian enclave and declined to rule out potential U.S. troop involvement there.

For more on the reasons and desires behind Trump's intention to establish control over the Gaza Strip, read the article by RBK-Ukraine.