The foreign ministers of several influential Arab states have rejected the relocation of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, in response to a proposal by US President Donald Trump. Trump had suggested that Egypt and Jordan take in the Palestinians from Gaza, which could be temporary or long-term. The Gaza Strip, he said, is “a total disaster, almost all of it is gone, it’s being torn down.”
However, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, as well as top officials from the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League, have expressed concern that such a relocation would imperil regional stability and prolong the conflict. They emphasized that the rights of the Palestinians must not be violated, whether through settlement activities, deportation, or the destruction of homes or annexation.
The statement also emphasized that the rights of the Palestinians must not be infringed upon, regardless of the means, circumstances, or justifications used for the transfer or uprooting of Palestinians from their land in any way or under any conditions.
While the statement expressed a willingness to cooperate with the Trump administration to achieve a “just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, based on the two-state solution” it called on the international community to help plan and implement a comprehensive reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip to ensure that Palestinians remain on their land.
Egypt’s President Abd al-Fattah as-Sisi had already rejected Trump’s proposal in a press conference last week, stating that the relocation of Palestinians “can never be tolerated or allowed.