A key group of Arab countries said they strongly reject any efforts to relocate or expel Palestinians from Gaza after US President Donald Trump said he wanted to “clear” the enclave and move its population to neighboring countries.
The foreign ministers of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt issued a sweeping statement on Saturday, saying they hoped to work with Trump on a two-state solution in the Middle East, reported by CNN.
Countries reject Trump’s offer
But they rejected Trump’s offer to relocate Palestinians from Gaza. Without specifically referring to the president’s proposal, the ministers reaffirmed their commitment to restoring the enclave while ensuring a permanent Palestinian presence in their homeland. Countries strongly reject any actions that threaten these rights, including settlement expansion, forced evictions, demolitions, land annexation, or displacement of Palestinians through direct expulsion or forced migration.
In January, Trump said he had spoken with the King of Jordan about potentially building housing elsewhere in the Middle East and relocating more than 1 million Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries. “I told him … I look at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess, it’s a real mess,” he said. “I don’t know if something’s going to happen, but it’s literally a demolition site right now,” Trump said. “Pretty much everything is destroyed, and people are dying there, so I would rather reach out to some of the Arab nations and build housing somewhere else where I think they could live in peace for diversity.”
UN agency indispensable for Palestinian refugees
The statement by Arab foreign ministers touched on a range of topics related to Gaza reconstruction, as a fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel allows the region to assess the impact of the brutal 15-month conflict. The group welcomed the important role played by the United States in facilitating the deal, which both Trump and his predecessor, Joe Biden, have taken credit for.
They also called for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and rejected any attempt to divide the Strip. They also highlighted the indispensable role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, two days after an Israeli ban on the agency’s activities took effect.