WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday sought to clarify that no U.S. troops would be needed for the vision he unveiled this week for America to take control of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip despite initially not ruling out such a possibility, an idea that sent a jolt through Washington and around the globe. 

What You Need To Know

  • President Donald Trump on Thursday sought to clarify that no U.S. troops would be needed for the vision he unveiled this week for America to take control of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip despite initially not ruling out such a possibility
  • In a post on his social media site Truth Social, the president said his plan involved Israel “turning over” the Gaza Strip to the U.S. at the end of the now 16-month-old war: “No soldiers by the U.S. would be needed!”
  • Trump announcement of his desire for the U.S. to embark on a “long-term ownership position” of Gaza, dismantling the war-torn land and creating an “economic development” that could become the “Riviera of the Middle East,” during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday sent a jolt through Washington and around the world 
  • White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday that the plan would not be funded by U.S. taxpayers

In a post on his social media site, Truth Social, the president said his plan involved Israel “turning over” the Gaza Strip to the U.S. at the end of the now 16-month-old war. 

“The U.S., working with great development teams from all over the World, would slowly and carefully begin the construction of what would become one of the greatest and most spectacular developments of its kind on Earth,” the president wrote. “No soldiers by the U.S. would be needed!”

Trump first announced his desire for the U.S. to embark on a “long-term ownership position” of Gaza, dismantling the war-torn land and creating an “economic development” that could become the “Riviera of the Middle East,” during a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. At the time, the president said such an endeavour could require deploying U.S. troops if “necessary.” 

“We’ll do what is necessary,” he said. 

World leaders hit back against the proposal while Democrats raged at the idea and Republicans in Congress offered mixed reactions, with some tentatively jumping on board and others appearing skeptical. 

Pressed about the plan at Wednesday’s White House news briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt sought to make clear that the president had not “committed to putting boots on the ground in Gaza” to carry it out. At the same time, she would not rule out the possibility, saying he wants to “preserve that leverage” in negotiations. 

Leavitt also said the American public would not foot the bill for such a plan.

“It does not mean American taxpayers will be funding this effort,” she said. “It means Donald Trump, who is the best dealmaker on the planet, is going to strike a deal with our partners in the region.”