White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt asserted that President Donald Trump had a “humanitarian heart” when he proposed taking over the Gaza Strip and relocating Palestinians — which has been called “ethnic cleansing” by experts.
During Wednesday’s White House press briefing, NBC’s Garrett Haake asked Leavitt about Trump’s plan to take ownership of Gaza. The day before, Trump had said the U.S. aims to “own’ Gaza, and that Palestinians needed to leave their homes.
“On Gaza, the president has spent basically his entire public career criticizing foreign entanglements, nation-building, sending American troops to fight abroad, particularly in the Middle East,” Haake noted. “Can you explain this reversal and how building and owning Gaza squares with America first foreign policy?”
“I would reject the premise of your question that this forces the United States to be entangled in conflicts abroad,” Leavitt insisted. “The President has not committed to putting boots on the ground in Gaza. He has also said that the United States is not going to pay for the rebuilding of Gaza.”
“Can I follow up?” Haake pressed. “Because he did not rule out American troops in Gaza last night. Are you doing that now?”
The press secretary, however, refused to rule out the use of U.S. troops.
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“I am saying that the president has not committed to that just yet,” Leavitt confirmed. “He’s been thinking about this. He said in his remarks last night this was not a decision or an announcement that he takes lightly.”
“This is an uninhabitable place for human beings,” she added. “Do you really think that families can live their dream in a region that looks like this, with no running water, no electricity?”
“And the president made this decision with a humanitarian heart for all people in the region.”
After speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday, Trump said of Gaza, “We’ll own it.”
He went on: “We’re going to take over that piece, develop it and create thousands and thousands of jobs, and it will be something the entire Middle East can be proud of.
“… I envision the world people living there, the world’s people. You’ll make that into an international unbelievable place. I think the potential in the Gaza Strip is unbelievable.”
He concluded that it could be “the riviera of the Middle East.”