U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Israel and Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, from February 13-18, a State Department official said.
His visit comes following the proposal by President Donald Trump to relocate Gazans out of the Gaza Strip, after which the coastal area will be turned over to U.S. control for rebuilding.
Trump’s proposal was widely criticized by European and Arab states, but Rubio agreed with Trump that the Gazans should be relocated at least for the “interim,” speaking on Thursday during a visit to the Dominican Republic.
He said Gaza currently is “not habitable” due to dangers from unexploded ordinance, and that people would have to live elsewhere while the area is rebuilt.
On Wednesday, Rubio tweeted, “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 earlier defended Trump’s plan as a humanitarian initiative, calling it a “very generous” offer to aid in debris removal and reconstruction following 15 months of heavy fighting between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also voiced support for the idea, saying on Wednesday during his visit to the U.S., “The actual idea of allowing for Gazans who want to leave to leave, I mean, what’s wrong with that? They can leave, they can come back. They can relocate and come back. But you have to rebuild Gaza.”
