'I won’t support it': GOP lawmakers push back against Trump’s 'really dumb' proposal

06 February

Republican members of Congress are critical of President Donald Trump’s suggestion to “take over” Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” displacing Palestinians, the Hill reported Thursday.

The Israeli government has backed Trump's proposal. "I instructed the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to prepare a plan that will allow any resident of Gaza who is interested to leave to any place in the world that agrees to accept them," Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. "The plan will include options for exit at land crossings as well as special arrangements for exit by sea and air."

“I think it’s a really dumb idea to talk about having U.S. troops in Gaza. It’s the last place on earth I’d send U.S. troops and I won’t support it,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told the Hill.

“All I can say is I want to destroy Hamas, but I’ve been on the phone with Arabs all day. That approach I think will be very problematic, said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). "The idea of Americans going in on the ground in Gaza is a nonstarter for every senator."

“I would suggest we go back to what we’ve been trying to do: Destroy Hamas and find a way for the Arab world to take over Gaza and the West Bank in a fashion that would lead to a Palestinian state Israel could live with,” Graham added.

On Thursday, Trump said that American soldiers would not be involved, saying: “The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting."

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, also backpedaled on the idea Wednesday.

“Steve Witkoff was just talking about that in there, and what he said was the president doesn’t want to put any U.S. troops on the ground … and he doesn’t want to spend any U.S. money, dollars, at all,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said.

“My view is that I’m very opposed to any U.S. troops on the ground there and I don’t want to spend taxpayer dollars in Gaza. I want to spend taxpayer dollars cleaning up St. Louis, Missouri, cleaning up our nuclear radiation, helping our victims,” he added.

The U.S. is already spending taxpayer dollars in Gaza.

Click here to read the Hill's article in full.

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