President Donald Trump presided over a policy meeting on Israel's war in Gaza and post-war plans for the Palestinian territory on Wednesday with input from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Trump Middle East envoy Jared Kushner, a senior White House official said.
Trump, top White House officials, Blair and Kushner discussed the hostage crisis, plans to escalate food aid deliveries, post-war plans and more, the official told Reuters.
The official described the session as "simply a policy meeting," the type frequently held by Trump and his team.
Kushner, who is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka, was a key White House adviser on Middle East in Trump's first term. Blair was prime minister during the 2003 Iraq war over which he has faced widespread criticism.
Trump had promised a quick end to the war in Gaza during his presidential campaign but a resolution has been elusive seven months into his second term.
Trump's term began with a ceasefire which lasted two months, until Israeli strikes killed around 400 Palestinians on 18 March. More recently, images of starving Palestinians in Gaza, including children, have shocked the world and fed criticism of U.S. ally Israel over the deteriorating conditions.
In February, Trump proposed a U.S. takeover of Gaza and a permanent displacement of Palestinians from the coastal territory. The plan was globally condemned and labeled as an "ethnic cleansing" proposal by rights experts and the United Nations. Forcible displacement is illegal under international law.
Trump cast the plan, which he has not publicly mentioned in recent weeks, as a re-development idea to turn Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East."
The plan echoed an idea that Kushner floated a year earlier to clear Gaza of its Palestinian inhabitants and turn it into a waterfront property.
The Financial Times reported in July that the Tony Blair Institute participated in a project to develop a post-war Gaza plan. The think-tank had said it "has had many calls with different groups on post-war reconstruction of Gaza but none have included the idea of forcible relocation of people from Gaza."
Separately, the U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in Washington and discussed Gaza and regional issues.
Saar, asked after the meeting what the plan was for a Palestinian state, said there would not be any. Some U.S. allies have in recent weeks announced plans to recognise a Palestinian state.
Israel's assault on Gaza since October 2023 has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. It has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide and war crimes at international courts that Israel denies.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, Israeli tallies show.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed Greenland’s rejection of U.S. control, responding sharply to remarks by the island’s prime minist...
A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person, injured four others and sparked fires at an unidentified industrial facility in the southern Russian city ...
Iran’s nationwide anti-government protests have killed at least 2,571 people, according to updated figures from a U.S.-based rights group, as unrest...
Boeing booked more aircraft orders than Airbus in 2025 for the first time since 2018, official figures showed, even as the European manufacturer deliv...
Business and political leaders are gathering in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s(WEF) annual meeting as uncertainty over the global economic and...
Boeing booked more aircraft orders than Airbus in 2025 for the first time since 2018, official figures showed, even as the European manufacturer delivered more planes during the year.
Business and political leaders are gathering in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s(WEF) annual meeting as uncertainty over the global economic and political order deepens, with U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies challenging long-standing international norms.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on Tuesday that authorities seized 6,850 kilograms of drugs in the southern state of Bolívar as part of an anti-narcotics operation earlier this month.
Greenlanders voiced support for diplomacy ahead of high-level talks in Washington on Wednesday, following renewed threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to take control of the Arctic territory.
Real Madrid have parted ways with coach Xabi Alonso, appointing former defender Álvaro Arbeloa as his replacement.
Israel has sharply escalated its warnings to Lebanon amid rising regional tensions linked to Iran, according to a report by the Lebanese newspaper Nida Al Watan.
The U.S. has issued an urgent security notice calling all American citizens to leave Iran immediately, citing escalating protests, growing violence and widespread communication shutdowns across the country.
Iranian authorities have taken steps to disrupt access to Starlink satellite internet, according to users and digital-rights groups, in what appears to be the latest effort to tighten control over people’s access to the internet inside the country.
The United Nations’ top court at The Hague has begun hearings on whether Myanmar committed genocide against the Rohingya ethnic minority. Gambia told judges on Monday that Myanmar targeted minority Muslim Rohingya for destruction and made their lives a nightmare in a landmark case.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed Greenland’s rejection of U.S. control, responding sharply to remarks by the island’s prime minister and signalling continued interest in the Arctic territory.
A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person, injured four others and sparked fires at an unidentified industrial facility in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, regional officials said on Wednesday.
Iran’s nationwide anti-government protests have killed at least 2,571 people, according to updated figures from a U.S.-based rights group, as unrest continues to pose one of the most serious challenges to the country’s clerical leadership in years.
Business and political leaders are gathering in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s(WEF) annual meeting as uncertainty over the global economic and political order deepens, with U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies challenging long-standing international norms.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on Tuesday that authorities seized 6,850 kilograms of drugs in the southern state of Bolívar as part of an anti-narcotics operation earlier this month.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment