WASHINGTON: United States Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has outrightly dismissed President Donald Trump’s proposal to seize Gaza and force out the Palestinians, while Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal said he expects Arab states to put forward a workable alternative.
The prominent lawmakers were among a bipartisan group of US senators who earlier met in Tel Aviv with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Sunday repeated his backing for Trump’s controversial vision for Gaza.
Graham, a longtime ally of Trump and a key Republican in Congress with influence on foreign policy and national security matters, told reporters there was little appetite in the Senate “for America to take over Gaza in any way, shape or form.”
Blumenthal simply said the plan was a “non-starter.”
“The one thing that President Trump has done, he started a discussion that was long overdue,” Graham said, saying that Arab states had “woken up” to finding a better alternative for Gaza.
Blumenthal said Jordan’s King Abdullah had convinced him that Arab states would present a plan that covers normalising ties with Israel, self-determination for the Palestinians, regional defence arrangements and security for Israel.
“If those components are part of a realistic plan, it could be a game changer for the region,” he said.
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