Criticism, praise and Saudi Arabia's rejection: Reactions to Trump's proposal to take over the Gaza Strip

President Donald Trump announced, together with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his intention for the United States to take control of the Gaza Strip in order to rebuild it and restore calm and stability in the Middle East. 

His proposal generated divided opinions among Republicans and Democrats, and also provoked the unequivocal rejection of Saudi Arabia, which said in a statement that it does not support President Trump's plan, especially because it involves the "displacement" of Gazan citizens to countries such as Egypt and Jordan.

In fact, the Saudi government warned that it would not establish diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state was created.

"Saudi Arabia will continue its strenuous efforts to create an independent Palestinian state (...) And will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel if this is not the case," said the Saudi Foreign Ministry.

The statement came just hours after Israeli leader Netanyahu stated that peace with Saudi Arabia was not only feasible, but that it "will happen." 

Beyond Saudi Arabia's reaction, an influential player in the region, Trump's remarks triggered a political earthquake in the U.S., with Democrats and Republicans taking sharply different positions on the issue.

In fact, surprisingly, many Republicans were confused by Trump's proposal, with some criticizing it.

"We’ll see what our Arab friends say about that. I think most South Carolinians would probably not be excited about sending Americans to take over Gaza. I think that might be problematic, but I’ll keep an open mind," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

Sen. Josh Hawley, from Missouri, had a similar reaction, "I don't know that I think it's the best use of United States resources to spend a bunch of money in Gaza, I think maybe I'd prefer that to be spent in the United States first."

Hawley also said that he doesn't think it's a good idea to send U.S. troops to Gaza.

Other Senate Republicans avoided giving a specific response, explaining that they had not yet heard Trump's statements or needed time to form an opinion.

For example, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, said in an interview that, "obviously all interested in facilitating a solution to the Middle East, particularly with the whole situation in Gaza."

"How we best achieve that I think is still — it’s a subject of conversation, sounds like he's got an idea on that," he added.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Jim Risch (R-Idaho), told reporters he had not heard Trump and so declined to comment.

Within the Trump administration, however, the proposal was almost immediately endorsed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called for "Making Gaza Beautiful Again."

"Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas. As @POTUS shared today, the United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again. Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people," Rubio said.

Interestingly, one of the few senators open to the possibility of the U.S. taking control of Gaza was a Democrat: John Fetterman, a staunch ally of Israel.

"It’s a provocative part of the conversation, but it’s part of the conversation, and that’s where we are," Fetterman said of Trump's proposal. "The Palestinians have refused, or they’ve been unwilling to deliver a government that provided security and economic development for themselves."

On the Democratic side, Trump's proposal faced even stronger opposition, starting with Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American representative.

"Palestinians aren’t going anywhere. This president can only spew this fanatical bullshit because of bipartisan support in Congress for funding genocide and ethnic cleansing. It's time for my two-state solution colleagues to speak up," the congresswoman said. 

In tune, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy criticized Trump for the idea of sending U.S. troops to the Middle East.

"He’s totally lost it. A U.S. invasion of Gaza would lead to the slaughter of thousands of U.S. troops and decades of war in the Middle East. It’s like a bad, sick joke," Murphy said on X.