Some Republicans oppose Trump's Gaza ‘take over’ proposal

WASHINGTON

Some Republican lawmakers openly opposed US President Donald Trump's recent proposal to "take over the Gaza Strip."

"I fear putting American troops on the ground now in the midst of a raging Middle East will yield the same results as it did in 1983. It is always best to try to learn from the past," Lindsey Graham, an ally of Trump, wrote on X.

Graham told reporters the plan might be "problematic."

"We’ll see what our Arab friends say about that," he said, according to Politico. Graham said he would "keep an open mind.”

Trump said Tuesday at a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US "will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too" and send in US troops if necessary and turn it into "the Riviera of the Middle East."

Republican senator Rand Paul knocked the plan.

"The pursuit for peace should be that of the Israelis and the Palestinians.

"I thought we voted for America First. We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers blood," Paul wrote Wednesday on X.

'Obviously it's not going to happen'

Separately, Sen. Thom Tillis told reporters that "there’s probably a couple of kinks in that slinky."

"Obviously it's not going to happen. I don’t know under what circumstance it would make sense even, even for Israel. Now, if Israel is asking for the United States to come in and provide some assistance to ensure that Hamas can never do again what they did, I’m in. But us taking over seems like a bit of a stretch," Tillis was quoted in media reports.

Sen. Josh Hawley said, "I don’t know that I think it’s the best use of United States resources” and indicated that he does not believe the US should send troops to Gaza, according to Politico.

House Speaker Mike Johnson praised Trump's "bold, decisive move."

Trump’s proposal came after a ceasefire agreement took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed more than 47,500 Palestinians and left the enclave in ruins.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.