1 month ago
Last Updated:February 06, 2025, 07:52 IST
The White House has clarified Donald Trump's Gaza "take over" remark which drew sharp reactions, including from Hamas. Trump had proposed to "rebuild" the war-torn Palestinian territory.
US President Donald Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu (AP Image)
The White House on Wednesday said that US President Donald Trump has not committed to deploying the military in the Gaza Strip under his plans to “take over" and “own" the war-torn Palestinian region.
This comes a day after Trump, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his side, proposed at a press conference that the US would take over Gaza after its residents are permanently resettled in the neighbouring Muslim countries and rebuild Gaza Strip as the “Riviera of the Middle East". His shocking announcement drew massive condemnation across the globe, .
What Did The White House Say?
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the President thinks the US needs to be involved in the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip, marred by war for over a year, to ensure stability in the Middle East.
“That does not mean boots on the ground in Gaza," Leavitt said.
In an apparent backtrack from Trump’s “permanent resettlement" of the Palestinians proposal on Tuesday, the press secretary said the President wants them to be “temporarily relocated" to neighbouring countries so that the development work could be carried out in the devastated area.
Earlier on Tuesday, Netanyahu held a meeting with Trump at the White House. Trump announced that the US will take over the Gaza Strip and will “develop it and own it". He wanted to have “long-term US ownership" of the war-torn Palestinian territory.
US Govt Vessels Can Transit Panama Canal Without Fees: State Department
The US Department of State on Wednesday announced that the government vessels of the United States can now transit the Panama Canal without charging fees.
“The government of Panama has agreed to no longer charge fees for U.S. government vessels to transit the Panama Canal," the department posted on X, adding that the agreement will save the US government millions of dollars every year.
This comes days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino on Sunday.
President Donald Trump has accused Panama of charging excessive rates to use its passage.
“If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question," Trump said in month.
Mulino has rejected Trump’s threat for the US to take back control of the canal, which it helped build. The US controlled the area around the canal for many years.
However, in 1977, the US and Panama signed agreements to gradually return the canal to Panama. After a period of shared management, the U.S. fully handed it over in 1999.
Location :Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
First Published:February 06, 2025, 07:43 IST
'Doesn't Mean Boots On Ground': White House Clarifies Trump's Gaza 'Take Over' Proposal
