President Donald Trump on Tuesday shocked the world when he unveiled his so-called Gaza Strip takeover plan and create a “Riviera of the Middle East”, indicating that United States would fully support the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homeland.
The shock move from Trump, which shattered decades of U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and drawing regional condemnation.
The casual proposal sent diplomatic shockwaves across the Middle East and around the globe. China said it opposed the forced transfer of Palestinians and Turkey called the proposal “unacceptable”.
Here are some global reactions to the announcement.
PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS AND THE PALESTINIAN LEADERSHIP
Abbas said the Palestinians will not relinquish their land, rights, and sacred sites, and that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the land of the State of Palestine, along with the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
SAUDI ARABIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY
“Saudi Arabia rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has affirmed the kingdom’s position in ‘a clear and explicit manner’ that does not allow for any interpretation under any circumstances.”
SENIOR HAMAS OFFICIAL SAMI ABU ZUHRI
“Our people in the Gaza Strip will not allow these plans to pass, and what is required is to end the (Israeli) occupation and aggression against our people, not to expel them from their land.”
EGYPT’S FOREIGN MINISTER BADR ABDELATTY
Abdelatty discussed with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa the importance of moving forward with recovery projects in Gaza without Palestinians leaving the Gaza Strip.
KREMLIN SPOKESMAN DMITRY PESKOV
Russia believes a settlement in the Middle East is only possible on the basis of a two-state solution.
CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY
“China hopes all parties will take ceasefire and post-conflict governance as an opportunity to bring the Palestinian issue back on the right track of political settlement based on the two-state solution.”
TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER HAKAN FIDAN
U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments on a plan to take over Gaza are “unacceptable”. Any plans leaving Palestinians “out of the equation” would lead to more conflict.
AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER ANTHONY ALBANESE
“Australia’s position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year. The Australian government supports on a bipartisan basis a two-state solution.”
DEMOCRATIC U.S. SENATOR CHRIS MURPHY
“He’s totally lost it…A U.S. invasion of Gaza would lead to the slaughter of thousands of U.S. troops and decades of war in the Middle East. It’s like a bad, sick joke.”
US Senator Chris Van Hollen
“Trump’s proposal to push two million Palestinians out of Gaza and take ‘ownership’ by force, if necessary, is simply ethnic cleansing by another name,” Van Hollen, a Democrat, said.
“This declaration will give ammunition to Iran and other adversaries while undermining our Arab partners in the region.”
Amnesty International
Paul O’Brien, executive director at Amnesty International US, said removing all Palestinians from Gaza was “tantamount to destroying them as a people”.
“Gaza is their home. Gaza’s death and destruction is a result of the government of Israel killing civilians by the thousands, often with US bombs,” he said.
