Foreign Minister Rubio Hopes Arab Countries Have Alternative Proposal On Gaza Strip

JAKARTA - United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his country wanted to hear new proposals from Arab countries regarding the Gaza Strip, Palestine.

He also accused them of not being willing to take any practical steps to help Palestine, following US President Donald Trump's plan to permanently move Gazans to be built.

Foreign Minister Rubio, who will travel to the Middle East, said he hoped to discuss various ideas during his visit to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and Israel, after talks in Washington with Egypt and Jordan.

"Hopefully they will have a very good plan to put forward to the president," Foreign Minister Rubio said of Arab countries, while speaking on a radio show.

"Right now, the only plan they don't like it but the only plan is Trump's plan. So, if they have a better plan, now is the time to file it," he said.

"All these countries say how much they care about Palestine, but none of them want to accept Palestinians. None of them has the history of doing anything for Gaza," Rubio accused.

Diplomats say Egypt is leading efforts to present an alternative to President Trump in a few weeks, which will involve training new security forces in Gaza and identifying local Palestinian leaders who will be responsible.

Foreign Minister Rubio said he believed Arab countries "work in good faith," but the red line is, there will be no Hamas role in the future.

"If countries in the region cannot find a way out, then Israel must do so, and then we will return to where we were before," he said.