US eager for Arab states' Gaza plan ahead of Rubio's visit

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
14 Feb 2025 02:35
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Marco Rubio said that Arab states should guarantee that Hamas has no role in Gaza.

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United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio listens as President Donald Trump meets with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, the United States, on February 13, 2025. (AP)

The United States is "eager" to listen to Arab proposals on rebuilding Gaza, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

Egypt is expected to present a proposal focused on rebuilding Gaza while guaranteeing that Palestinians are not displaced from their homeland in the process. This comes after US President Donald Trump's insistence on displacing Palestinians from the territory and resettling them in other countries, mainly Egypt and Jordan. However, this proposal has been internationally rejected and has faced opposition from Arab governments.

Rubio is expected to visit the Middle East soon and meet with senior officials in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Israeli-occupied territories.

"Hopefully they’re going to have a really good plan to present the president," Rubio told a radio show hosted by Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.

"Right now the only plan – they don’t like it – but the only plan is the Trump plan," the top diplomat said, adding if Arab states have a better plan "now’s the time to present it."

Rubio also expressed his dismay with Arab governments saying that "none of them have a history of doing anything for Gaza."

Although Egypt has hosted talks between Palestinian factions in order to outline governance in the Gaza Strip following the Israeli war on the territory, Rubio said that any plan should have no future role for Hamas. Palestinian leaders have made clear on multiple occasions that issues such as governance should be resolved by Palestinians, not foreign powers.

Rubio also said that if Arab states cannot ensure that Hamas is sidelined in Gaza, "then Israel is going to have to do it, and then we're back to where we've been, so that doesn’t solve the problem."