KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip - Palestinians in Gaza voiced fierce opposition to President Donald Trump's proposal of a US takeover of Gaza and a permanent resettlement of its population of two million to other countries including, Egypt and Jordan.
Trump’s idea of turning Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” presented during a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been branded by many as the most daring idea ever by an American President.
Trump suggested the Palestinians be provided a “good, fresh, beautiful piece of land” to live in instead of Gaza to make way for what he described as his “long-term ownership” and redevelopment plan for the enclave.
Describing the potential resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza as an “outright crime against humanity” and “a continuation of the forced displacements that have marked Palestinian history since 1948,” Ali Hussein, a Palestinian in Khan Younis southern Gaza, accused Trump of seeking “to cause strife in the Middle East." He called for an arrest warrant against Trump and denounced the plan as “a Zionist imperialist American proposal.”
Another displaced Palestinian to Khan Younis, Mohammad al-Qaraa, noted that “those who refused to leave Gaza during the 15-month-long war will stay in Gaza no matter what and will not migrate to Egypt, Jordan or any other country.”
Indigenous Gazan Labiyah Za’rab expressed her staunch rejection of Trump’s proposal stating, “This is our homeland and those who leave their homeland are rendered worthless.” Recounting her many travels to Egypt, Jordan, Libya and Saudi Arabia Za’rab says, “Nothing compares to our homeland and nothing compares to Gaza."
The international response to Trump’s proposal has been swift and largely critical. Saudi Arabia was quick to push back on Wednesday, warning that it “would not establish diplomatic relations with Israel” unless “an independent Palestinian state” is established within “the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
The UK government on the same day expressed its backing for a Gaza for Gazans. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the British parliament that Palestinians “must be allowed home and allowed to rebuild” adding, “We should be with them in that rebuild on the way to that two-state solution.”
On its part, France rejected Trump’s proposal reiterating “its opposition to any forced displacement of the Palestinian population of Gaza.” Paris warned that the implementation of such a plan “would not only constitute a serious violation of international law,” but will also present “a major destabilizing factor” to the entire region.
On a similar note, Australia and China were also among the growing number of countries that rejected Trump’s proposal. Canberra voiced its support for a two-state solution while Beijing added that the latter was the only means to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.