Arab leaders rally to confront Trump’s Gaza displacement plan

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Major Arab countries and a senior Palestinian official expressed strong opposition to President Donald Trump’s widely condemned proposal to forcibly expel Palestinians from Gaza in a letter sent to the U.S..

In a joint letter sent to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, the top diplomats of Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, as well as Palestinian presidential adviser Hussein al-Sheikh warned that the proposed deportation of Palestinians from their land will push the Middle East towards more tensions.

“Not only will such a move be a clear violation of international law. It will be a threat to regional stability and security,” the letter claimed.

The letter was sent after a six-nation Arab ministerial meeting held in Cairo firmly rejected the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and reiterated a demand for the implementation of a two-state solution to the conflict.​​​​​​​

On January 25, Trump had expressed support for a plan to “clean out” the Gaza Strip and relocate its residents to either Jordan and Egypt “temporarily or long-term.’

The remarks sparked widespread condemnations across the Arab world as many believe the plan favours Israel’s plan to illegally occupy more Palestinian land.

Two days later, Trump once again called for Palestinians to move to “safer” locations, citing Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as likely partners to his scheme.

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FLORIDA, UNITED STATES – NOVEMBER 06: Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump makes a speech during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, United States, on November 06, 2024. ( Brendan Gutenschwager – Anadolu Agency )

Both Arab leaders, however, stressed their strong rejection of the plan. A position that has long been held by the two Arab nations.

On January 30, the U.S. president again insisted Jordan and Egypt would take in displaced Palestinians, saying in an interview to press: “They’re going to do it. We do a lot for them, and they’re going to do it.”

Other Arab countries have also pressured the U.S. to abandon the idea.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani announced Saturday his country’s “absolute rejection” of attempts to displace the Palestinian people from Gaza, warning that such calls would only reignite confrontations in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Palestinians themselves have also lambasted Trump’s suggestion with the presidency of the West Bank warning of grave consequences.

Spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement: “The (Israeli) occupation authorities are expanding their all-out war on the Palestinian people in the West Bank to implement their plans aimed at displacing citizens and carrying out ethnic cleansing.

These aggressive policies carried out by the occupation forces in the West Bank have led to the death of 29 citizens, hundreds of wounded and detainees, in addition to the destruction of entire residential blocks in the Jenin and Tulkarem refugee camps, the displacement of thousands of citizens, and massive destruction of infrastructure.”

Trump’s proposal came after a ceasefire agreement took effect January 19 in Gaza, suspending Israel’s genocidal war, that has killed more than 47,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, since a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

The relentless Israeli attacks have reduced the enclave to a wasteland of ruins and rubble.

Trump’s proposal has received widespread condemnation, with critics calling it “ethnic cleansing” and a “war crime.”

Many countries in the Muslim and Arab world as well as European nations such as France have firmly rejected the idea.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II will meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Feb. 11, the royal court has confirmed.

It is expected the King will underlined the “importance” of the U.S. role in achieving peace and stability in the Middle East region.

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