US President Donald Trump’s proposal that the US “take over” the Gaza Strip and permanently resettle its Palestinian residents was swiftly rejected and denounced yesterday by Washington’s allies and adversaries alike.
Trump’s suggestion came at a White House news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who smiled several times as the president detailed a plan to build new settlements for Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip, and for the US to take “ownership” in redeveloping the war-torn territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Trump said. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs.”
Photo: AFP
The comments came amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, during which the militant group has been turning over hostages in exchange for the release of prisoners held by Israel.
Egypt, Jordan and other US allies in the Middle East have already rejected the idea of relocating more than 2 million Palestinians from Gaza elsewhere in the region.
Following Trump’s remarks, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement stressing the need for rebuilding “without moving the Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip.”
Saudi Arabia, an important US ally, weighed in quickly on Trump’s expanded idea to take over the Gaza Strip in a sharply worded statement, saying that its long call for an independent Palestinian state was a “firm, steadfast and unwavering position.”
“The kingdom of Saudi Arabia also stresses what it had previously announced regarding its absolute rejection of infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, annexation of Palestinian lands or efforts to displace the Palestinian people from their land,” the statement said.
Similarly, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Canberra that his country has long supported a two-state solution in the Middle East and that nothing had changed.
The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement that its “long-standing support for a two-state solution is on the record” and added that it “won’t be commenting on every proposal that is put forward.”
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lin Jian (林劍) also underscored Beijing’s longstanding support for a two-state solution.
“We oppose the forced relocation of people in Gaza and hope that the relevant parties will take the ceasefire and post-war governance in Gaza as an opportunity to push the Palestinian issue back on the right track,” he said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for the UN to “protect the Palestinian people and their inalienable rights,” saying that what Trump wanted to do would be “a serious violation of international law.”
Hamas, which sparked the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, said Trump’s proposal was a “recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region.”
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