Residents of the largest Arab American community in the U.S. had plenty to say during the 2024 presidential campaign about the roiling politics in the Middle East. But after President Donald Trump's stunning announcement on Tuesday that he wanted to remove Palestinians from Gaza and impose a U.S. takeover in the region, some leaders in Dearborn, Michigan, were treading far more cautiously.

"People are taking a deep breath. It's too early to render a judgment. But definitely the past two or three weeks feel unbelievable," said Imad Hamad, executive director of the Dearborn-based American Human Rights Council.

Saeed Abu Elaish's wife, two of his daughters and two dozen others from his extended family were killed by Israeli airstrikes over the past 15 months. His house in northern Gaza was destroyed. He and surviving family now live in a tent set up in the rubble of his home.

But he says he will not be driven out, after President Donald Trump called for transferring all Palestinians from Gaza so the United States could take over the devastated territory and rebuild it for others. Rights groups said his comments were tantamount to a call for "ethnic cleansing" and forcible expulsion.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration appeared to backtrack after his proposal to take over Gaza sparked uproar, with the United Nations warning against "ethnic cleansing" in the Palestinian territory.

Facing a wave of criticism from Palestinians, Arab governments and world leaders, Trump's Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any transfer of Gazans would be temporary, while the White House said there was no commitment to sending U.S. troops.

Palestinians will mark this year the 77th anniversary of their mass expulsion from what is now Israel, an event that is at the core of their national struggle.

But in many ways, that experience pales in comparison to the calamity now faced in the Gaza Strip — particularly as President Donald Trump has suggested that displaced Palestinians in Gaza be permanently resettled outside the war-torn territory and that the United States take "ownership" of the enclave.

U.S. President Donald Trump's stunning proposal to forcibly transfer hundreds of thousands of Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip and develop it as a tourist destination faces major obstacles.

The Palestinians and many others view such plans as ethnic cleansing, an attempt to drive them from their homeland after Israel's 15-month offensive against Hamas rendered much of it uninhabitable. It was also seen as an attempt to liquidate their decades-long struggle for a state, which has wide international support.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran "cannot have a Nuclear Weapon", a day after he signed an order reinstating a "maximum pressure" policy against Tehran over allegations that it was trying to develop such weapons.

"I want Iran to be a great and successful Country, but one that cannot have a Nuclear Weapon," he said in a post on his Truth Social platform, adding: "I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper."

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called on Wednesday for the Palestinian Authority to govern the Gaza Strip, hours after President Donald Trump announced a proposal for the United States to take over the territory.

In a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, Abdelatty said Egypt was eager for the Palestinian Authority to "assume its duties in the Gaza Strip as part of the occupied Palestinian territories", according to a foreign ministry statement.

A source in the Palestinian president's office said Mahmoud Abbas travelled to Jordan Wednesday for talks with King Abdullah II shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump proposed to take over the Gaza Strip.

Abbas travelled to Jordan on Wednesday morning, the source told AFP, and is expected to discuss Trump's surprise proposal for the United States to "take over" and "own" the Gaza Strip while its Palestinian residents relocate to Egypt or Jordan.

Saudi Arabia said Wednesday it will not formalize ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state is established, after Israel's prime minister remarked that he thought normalization with the Gulf kingdom was "going to happen".

"Saudi Arabia will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that," the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement on X.

The Palestine Liberation Organization said Wednesday that it rejected any plan involving the displacement of Palestinians, after President Donald Trump suggested Gazans move to Egypt or Jordan and the United States "take control" of the territory.

Secretary General Hussein al-Sheikh said the PLO "affirms its rejection of all calls for the displacement of the Palestinian people from their homeland" and renews its support for a two-state solution.