U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Israel and Arab states in mid-February, a State Department official said, making his first trip to the Middle East after a widely condemned proposal by President Donald Trump to displace Palestinians in Gaza.

Top Trump administration officials on Wednesday walked back elements of President Trump’s proposal to “take over” Gaza and drive out the Palestinian population, insisting that he had not committed to using U.S. troops to clear the territory and that any relocation of Palestinians would be temporary.

Norman Roule, formerly a national intelligence manager for Iran, outlined his perspective following President Trump’s recent proposal about the U.S. “ owning Gaza .” During an appearance on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” the Middle East expert said he believes there are “positive” elements to Trump’s idea.