We will ‘own’ Gaza: Trump’s statement faces strong backlash

Trump reaffirmed his earlier statement of relocating millions of displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to neighbouring Egypt and Jordan.

Washington: US President Donald Trump during his joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggested that the United States would “own the Gaza Strip” by taking over and “rebuilding” it to make it a seaside paradise.

His comments were not welcomed by world leaders, especially in the Middle East, where they stated that it would only lead to more conflict than resolution.

Addressing reporters at the White House, Trump said, “The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it… we will 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, and create economic development that will supply an unlimited number of jobs and housing for the people of the area. Do a real job, do something different.”

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Trump reaffirmed his earlier statement of relocating millions of displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to neighbouring Egypt and Jordan. According to him, there is nothing left in Gaza and going back is “death and destruction.”

“Just can’t go back. If you go back, it is gonna end up the same way as it has for 100 years. They should go to other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts. I would think that they would be thrilled,” he stated.

World leaders react to Trump’s ‘own Gaza’ remark

Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians in the Gaza Strip has not gone down well with world leaders, especially Egypt, Jordan and the Middle East.

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Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League released a joint statement rejecting any plans to move Palestinians out of their territories in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

The statement stated that the relocation can “threaten the region’s stability, risk expanding the conflict, and undermine prospects for peace and coexistence among its people.”

Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said Trump’s comments were “unacceptable and will only lead to more conflict.”

Russia has rejected Trump’s relocation statement saying, “There are Israeli plans to take full control of the occupied West Bank and attempts to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Israel is practising a policy of collective punishment.”

The United Kingdom said Palestinians should be allowed to go back and rebuild their lives in their homelands. “We’ve always been clear in our belief that we must see two states. We must see Palestinians live and prosper in their homelands in Gaza and the West Bank,” UK foreign minister David Lammy said.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said it is the right of every Palestinian to rebuild Gaza. “Trump’s proposal makes no sense. Where would Palestinians live? This is something incomprehensible to any human being,” Lula said.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vouched for a two-state solution.

France foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine stated that Trump’s statement “could create a serious violation of international law.”

“France reiterates its opposition to any forced displacement of the Palestinian population of Gaza, which would constitute a serious violation of international law, an attack on the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians, but also a major obstacle to the two-state solution and a major destabilising factor for our close partners Egypt and Jordan as well as for the entire region,” he said.

UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory Francesca Albanese described Trump’s statement as “unlawful, immoral and completely irresponsible.”

Trump is greatest friend of Israel: Netanyahu

Hailing President Trump’s recommendation of relocating the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to other countries, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the US President as “the greatest friend Israel has ever had,” adding, the people of Israel hold “immense respect.”

Netanyahu praised Trump for his “outside-the-box thinking” and his “readiness to challenge conventional ideas that could change history.”

It’s Netanyahu’s first travel outside Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November for him, his former defence minister and Hamas’ slain military chief, accusing them of crimes against humanity during the war in Gaza. The US does not recognise the ICC’s authority over its citizens or territory.

A recipe for creating chaos: Hamas

Earlier this month, Hamas dismissed the US proposal about relocating Gaza’s population abroad as “absurd and worthless.”

Hamas described Trump’s “take over Gaza Strip” statement as “a recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region. Our people in the Gaza Strip will not allow these plans to pass.”

“These statements reflect confusion and deep ignorance about Palestine and the region. Gaza is certainly not a common land and it is not a property that can be bought and sold. American bias towards Israel and against our Palestinian people and against their just rights continues,” Izzat el-Reshiqm, a senior Hamas official was quoted by Al Jazeera.

‘Palestinians will rebuild Gaza, thankyou’

Leader of the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations Riyad Mansour turned down President Trump’s relocation idea saying “the land belongs to them.”

“For those who want to send the Palestinian people to a ‘nice place’, allow them to go back to their original homes in what is now Israel. The Palestinian people want to rebuild Gaza because this is where we belong,” Mansour said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas outrightly rejected Trump’s plans calling it a serious violation of international law. “We will not allow any infringement of the rights of our people, which we have struggled for decades and made great sacrifices to achieve. Peace and stability will not be achieved in the region without establishing a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital on the borders of 1967, based on the two-state solution,” the President said.  

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