Trump says he has not seen the Egyptian counter to his plan for Gaza
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday evening he has not seen the proposal being discussed by Arab leaders as an alternative to his plan to take over Gaza once the war between Hamas and Israel ends. “I haven’t seen it,” Trump said in response to a reporter’s question on Air Force One. “Once I see it, I’ll let you know,” he added. Trump said early this month he wants to forcibly relocate almost 2 million Palestinians from Gaza into neighboring Jordan and Egypt. He said the United States will “own” the territory and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” which prompted rejection by Arab countries. It’s unclear whether Trump is serious or merely threatening to extract concessions from Arab states. During a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh this week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested that it could be the latter, urging regional leaders to make a counteroffer. Envoys of Egyptian, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will meet Friday in Riyadh to discuss options, including an Egyptian plan to raise up to $20 billion over three years from Arab and Gulf states for Gaza’s reconstruction. Under this plan, Gazans would not be forced out and the strip would be governed by Palestinians. Saudi connection Trump spoke en route to Washington after delivering remarks at a conference in Miami, hosted by the Future Investment Initiative Institute, the nonprofit arm of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund led by the crown prince. His speech marked the first time a U.S. president addressed the annual gathering of global financiers and tech executives. It is a testament to how the Saudi crown prince, known by his initials MBS, has leveraged his connection to Trump, Laura Blumenfeld, senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies, said. The prince established close ties during Trump’s first term and continued business ties with the Trump organization while the president was out of office, including investing $2 billion to a firm belonging to Trump’s son-in-law and former aide, Jared Kushner. “Trump believes in the Golden Rule, but not the Golden Rule from Sunday school,” Blumenfeld told VOA. “It’s if you’re rich, you’re right.” As Riyadh leads the charge to unify Arab nations to support postwar Gaza, there may be signs that Trump is softening his demand. In … “Trump says he has not seen the Egyptian counter to his plan for Gaza” →