Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) condemned President Donald Trump’s strategy surrounding Gaza, claiming that it is “deeply disrespectful” to Palestinians.

Trump announced that the United States will take ownership of Gaza and may send troops to the area if necessary. Trump’s plans include redeveloping the area to be the “Riviera of the Middle East” and do not reserve Palestinians the right to return.

“I thought it was an unserious proposal,” Shapiro said Tuesday on the Stephen A. Smith Show. “I thought it was a proposal that, if he actually carried it out the way he said he was, violates international law. I thought it was deeply disrespectful to the Palestinian people. I’m someone who believes that there should be a two-state solution. … I think what Donald Trump did was make that harder, and again, I thought it was really unserious and unhelpful at this time.”

Shapiro accused Trump of not taking Jordan into consideration when he made the comments. However King Abdullah II bin al Hussein of Jordan visited Trump on Tuesday in a seemingly friendly manner and agreed to take in 2,000 sick Palestinian children for treatment within his country. Abdullah implied that other countries were interested in making similar efforts.

Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, stood by the president’s plan. Witkoff claimed that because Gaza in “uninhabitable” as is, a better life for Palestinians might not be “tied to the physical space.”

“I think [Trump is] telling the Middle East that the last 50 years of doing things was not a correct way of doing things and that he is going to change it up because all of those iterations have not worked,” Witkoff said last week on Fox News’s Hannity. “He’s also telling the Middle East that he wants to be transparent with the Palestinian people.”

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The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry reported that 60,000 Palestinians were killed between Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, and the ceasefire deal last month. These numbers do not distinguish between civilians and fighters, but the ministry estimates most were women and children.

A ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel has entered its third week. It is slated to end on March 2.