Rubio says US will ‘give a chance’ for Arab states to propose Gaza plan

CAIRO – 14 February 2025: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States will "give a chance" for Arab countries to present an alternative plan for Gaza following US President Donald Trump’s shocking proposal to completely and permanently evacuate residents from the enclave.

“If the Arab countries have a better plan, then that’s great. Then they say they do, they’re going to come up with it, we’re going to look at it, see what it’s regarding and what it does,” Rubio told the radio show of conservative hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton on Thursday.

Rubio is set to embark on a tour of the Middle East, with stops in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel, where he expects “to hear from Arab partners” during his visit.

“Hopefully they’re going to have a really good plan, and to present to the president,” the US secretary said.

Rubio emphasized that any plan for Gaza that leaves Hamas in place “is going to be a problem,” asserting that “someone’s going to have to go on the ground” in the Strip to “confront” armed Hamas.

“Right now, the only plan – they don’t like it, but the only plan is the Trump plan,” Rubio said. So, if they’ve got a better plan, now’s the time to present it. So, we’re looking forward to that.”

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Jordan has reiterated its “clear and steadfast” rejection of proposals for displacing the Palestinian people from their lands after US President Donald Trump doubled down on his proposal to take control of the Gaza Strip during a meeting with Jordan’s…

— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) February 12, 2025

Trump’s proposal to “take” Gaza and relocate the two million Palestinians there to neighboring Egypt and Jordan has faced global condemnation, with rights groups labeling the move as “ethnic cleansing.”

In a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in February, Trump claimed that the US “will take over the Gaza Strip … and be responsible for dismantling all the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site.”

He claimed that the US would transform Gaza into a development project that could become “the Riviera of the Middle East.”

The Arab League, which encompasses all 22 Arab countries of the world, warned that Trump’s proposal is “a recipe for instability.” Meanwhile, the European Union said Gaza “is an integral part of a future Palestinian state.”

In the wake of Trump’s Gaza takeover remarks, Cairo announced hosting an emergency meeting for Arab leaders on February 27 to “address the critical developments on the Palestinian cause.”

Both Egypt and Jordan have outright rejected any ideas that involve displacing Palestinians from their lands, insisting that reconstruction efforts must proceed while Palestinians remain on their territory.

Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has underscored the importance of of initiating the early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza while ensuring that Palestinians remain on their land#Egypt #Africa #MENAhttps://t.co/IPx4MmqHK0

— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) February 13, 2025

Saudi Arabia also criticized Netanyahu’s plans to displace Palestinians, shortly after the Israeli prime minister suggested that Saudi Arabia “has a lot of land over there” suitable for establishing a Palestinian state.

“All these countries say how much they care about the Palestinians, but none of them want to take any Palestinians,” Rubio said. “None of them have a history of doing anything for Gaza in that matter,” he claimed.

Egypt announced this week that it would present a comprehensive plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, ensuring that the Palestinian people remain on their land in accordance with their legitimate and legal rights.

Additionally, the Egyptian Engineers Syndicate revealed that it is forming a specialized advisory committee of experts focused on Gaza's reconstruction.