Donald Trump‘s plan to “take over” the Gaza Strip and force its residents to move elsewhere has been condemned by Middle East leaders.
Trump suggested displaced Palestinians be permanently resettled outside Gaza and proposed the US take “ownership” in redeveloping the area. He made the remarks in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A statement from Saudi Arabia Foreign Ministry said Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman was unequivocal in his position, despite Trump’s announcement.
“The international community has a duty today to alleviate the severe humanitarian suffering endured by the Palestinian people, who will remain steadfast on their land and will not move from it,” the statement read.
“The duty of the international community today is to work to alleviate the severe human suffering endured by the Palestinian people, who will remain committed to their land and will not budge from it.
“This firm position is not subject to negotiation or outbidding.”
The statement was issued several hours after Trump’s press conference with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Hamas, unsurprisingly, also condemned Trump’s plan.
“Instead of holding the Zionist occupation accountable for the crime of genocide and displacement, it is being rewarded, not punished,” Hamas said in a statement.
“We reject Trump’s statements in which he said that the residents of the Gaza Strip have no choice but to leave, and we consider them a recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region.”
Trump did not go into great detail as to the fate of Palestinians forced out of Gaza.
Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and the Arab League, as well as the Palestinian Authority, have already rejected the idea of relocating Gazans in other countries.
Such a relocation is unfeasible, Monash University lecturer Ran Porat told 9News.com.au.
“It’s the worst nightmare of the Egyptians. It’s the worst, worst nightmares of the Jordanians,” he said.
“The Palestinians are the rejected children of the Arab world. Nobody wants them.”
But whether Trump follows through on his plan is a big question.
“It’s not clear to me that President Trump has much of a detailed plan for actually taking over Gaza, let alone sending Gazans to other parts of the Middle East,” Director of Research at the United States Studies Centre Jared Mondschein told 9News.com.au.
“More than anything else this appears to be the opening gambit of a negotiation.”
Mondschien said this “maximalist first step” might force Gaza’s neighbours to take more of an interest in resolving the situation themselves.
“Ultimately, few experts believe that actually relocating hundreds of thousands Gazans to Egypt and Jordan is likely to resolve anything,” he said.
“But it certainly makes increased financial and/or political support by Egypt and Jordan seem like less of a burden.”
About two million people live in the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated places on Earth.
