Germany opposes Trump’s proposal to move Palestinians from Gaza to nearby countries

BERLIN

Germany on Monday rejected US President Donald Trump’s proposal to move Palestinians from Gaza to nearby countries – Egypt and Jordan.

Speaking at a press briefing in Berlin, Foreign Ministry spokesman Christian Wagner said that Germany maintains its commitment to the international consensus regarding Gaza's status.

“There is a common position shared by the EU, our Arab partners and the United Nations, which is very clear: The Palestinian population cannot be expelled from Gaza, and Gaza must not be permanently occupied or resettled by Israel,” he said.

Wagner added that the G7 group of the world's leading economies, which includes the US, has so far consistently supported this position in multiple joint statements.

“Expulsions from Gaza, and establishing new settlements here is not possible. This is also something that we made very clear during the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Tokyo in 2023. In this respect, I think our position is more than clear,” he said.

Wagner noted that Trump’s idea was already rejected by the countries in the region, and underlined that international focus should not derail from the ongoing efforts for a sustainable ceasefire in the region.

“You have probably also taken note of the comments made by the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan. In this respect, I would like to point out that for us what is crucial at the moment is the implementation of the ceasefire agreement,” Wagner told reporters.

Trump made his controversial proposal on Saturday, suggesting it was time to “clean out” the besieged Gaza Strip and relocate Palestinians to Jordan and Egypt.

Israel’s genocidal war on the territory since October 2023 has resulted in more than 47,000 Palestinian deaths and left the blockaded enclave devastated.