Rania Abu Shamala
05 February 2025•Update: 05 February 2025
ISTANBUL
Arab countries denounced Wednesday US President Donald Trump’s proposal to take over the Gaza Strip and resettle Palestinians elsewhere.
At a press conference in Washington with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late Tuesday, Trump said the US “will take over” Gaza after relocating over 2 million Palestinians elsewhere under an extraordinary redevelopment plan that he claimed could turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Trump had first triggered uproar last week by suggesting that Palestinians in Gaza should be relocated to Jordan and Egypt, calling the enclave a “demolition site” after Israel’s 15-month war that has claimed more than 47,000 lives. A ceasefire that took hold on Jan. 19 is currently in place.
His proposal, however, was vehemently rejected by Amman and Cairo.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said "we will not allow the rights of our people, for which we have struggled for decades, to be infringed upon.”
“These calls represent a serious violation of international law, and peace and stability in the region will not be achieved without the establishment of the Palestinian state," he added.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry reaffirmed “its unequivocal rejection of any infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, land annexation, or attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land.”
Jordan’s royal court said King Abdullah warned of the dangerous attempts to displace Palestinians, stressing that “any solution will not be at the expense of the security and stability of Jordan and the region."
He reaffirmed “the need to step up Arab efforts to support the steadfastness of Palestinians on their land, maintain the Gaza ceasefire, and enhance the humanitarian response in the Strip.”
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty highlighted the urgent need for advancing recovery projects in Gaza, ensuring aid delivery and clearing rubble without displacing Palestinians from the enclave.
The Omani Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its “steadfast position and outright rejection of any attempts to displace the residents of Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories,” emphasizing the necessity of “respecting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on their land.”
Oman stressed that any plans aimed at relocating Palestinians from their homeland “constitute a blatant violation of international law and UN resolutions, posing a threat to regional security and stability.”
The UAE Foreign Ministry also stressed “its categorical rejection of any infringement on the Palestinians’ unalienable rights, and any attempts of displacement,” reaffirming “the importance of halting any settlement activities which threaten regional stability and undermine the opportunities for peace and co-existence.”
At the organizational level, Arab Parliament speaker Mohammed Al-Yamahi expressed the parliament’s strong rejection and condemnation of Trump’s remarks advocating for control over Gaza and the forced displacement of the Palestinian people, calling them a violation of international law and Palestinian legitimate rights.
The parliament "firmly rejected" any attempts to eliminate the Palestinian cause or impose unjust solutions, stressing that “any attempt to enforce the forced displacement of the Palestinian people constitutes a crime against humanity.”
Similarly, the General Secretariat of the Arab League said "President Trump’s remarks promote a scenario of Palestinian displacement that is rejected both regionally and internationally, and is in clear violation of international law."
It emphasized that such proposals "would lead to instability and do not contribute to achieving the two-state solution, which remains the only viable path to peace and security between Palestinians and Israelis, as well as in the broader region."
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation said Trump's statements "contribute to the consolidation of occupation, colonial settlement, and the forcible seizure of Palestinian land, which constitutes a flagrant violation of the principles of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, including Security Council Resolution No. 2334, and that this would undermine the chances of peace and destabilize the region.”
The Islamic grouping also expressed “its absolute rejection of any plans aimed at changing the geographical, demographic, or legal reality of the occupied Palestinian territory, stressing that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the occupied State of Palestine.”
An Arab ministerial meeting in Cairo on Saturday also rejected Palestinian displacement from Gaza and renewed calls for implementing a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
