By DAVID RISING and JON GAMBRELL, Related Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump’s proposal that the USA “take over” the Gaza Strip and completely resettle its Palestinian residents was swiftly rejected and denounced on Wednesday by American allies and adversaries alike.
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” Trump mentioned. “We’ll 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, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs.”
The feedback got here amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, throughout which the militant group has been turning over hostages in alternate for the discharge of prisoners held by Israel.
Saudi Arabia, an vital American ally, weighed in rapidly on Trump’s expanded thought to take over the Gaza Strip in a sharply worded assertion, noting that its lengthy name for an impartial Palestinian state was a “firm, steadfast and unwavering position.”
“The kingdom of Saudi Arabia also stresses what it had previously announced regarding its absolute rejection of infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, annexation of Palestinian lands or efforts to displace the Palestinian people from their land,” the assertion mentioned.
Equally, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese instructed reporters in Canberra, Australia, that his nation has lengthy supported a two-state answer within the Center East and that nothing had modified.
“Australia’s position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year, as it was 10 years ago,” he mentioned.
Trump has already made waves — and upset longtime allies — suggesting the acquisition of Greenland, the annexation of Canada and the attainable takeover of the Panama Canal. It was not instantly clear whether or not the concept of taking up the Gaza Strip was a nicely thought out plan, or a gap gambit in negotiations.
Albanese, whose nation is likely one of the strongest American allies within the Asia-Pacific area, appeared annoyed to even be requested in regards to the Gaza plan, underscoring that his insurance policies “will be consistent.”
“I’m not going to, as Australia’s prime minister, give a daily commentary on statements by the U.S. president,” he mentioned. “My job is to support Australia’s position.”
New Zealand’s International Ministry mentioned in an announcement that its “long-standing support for a two-state solution is on the record” and added that it, too, “won’t be commenting on every proposal that is put forward.”
Chinese language International Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian additionally underscored Beijing’s longstanding assist for a two-state answer.
“We oppose the forced relocation of people in Gaza and hope that the relevant parties will take the ceasefire and post-war governance in Gaza as an opportunity to push the Palestinian issue back on the right track,” he mentioned.
Tens of hundreds of Palestinians are returning to northern Gaza for the primary time since Israel sealed it off within the early weeks of the battle with Hamas. Below a ceasefire settlement, they had been allowed to enter by way of two north-south highways crossing the Netzarim hall, an Israeli navy zone. (AP Digital Embed)
Turkish International Minister Hakan Fidan instructed state-run Anadolu Company that Trump’s proposal on “deportations from Gaza is not something that either the region or we would accept.”
“Even thinking about it, in my opinion, is wrong and absurd,” Fidan mentioned.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas referred to as for the United Nations to “protect the Palestinian people and their inalienable rights,” saying that what Trump wished to do can be “a serious violation of international law.”
Hamas, which sparked the battle with its Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist assault on Israel, mentioned Trump’s proposal was a “recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region.”
“Instead of holding the Zionist occupation accountable for the crime of genocide and displacement, it is being rewarded, not punished,” the militant group mentioned in an announcement.
In its assault on Israel, Hamas killed some 1,200 individuals, primarily civilians, and took about 250 hostages.
Hamas has been designated as a terrorist group by the USA, Canada and the European Union.
Israel’s ensuing air and floor battle has has killed over 47,000 Palestinians, greater than half of them ladies and youngsters, in line with native well being authorities who don’t say how lots of the lifeless had been fighters. The battle has left massive components of a number of cities in ruins and displaced round 90% of Gaza’s inhabitants of two.3 million individuals.
Within the U.S., opposition politicians rapidly rejected Trump’s thought, with Democratic Sen. Chris Coons calling his feedback “offensive and insane and dangerous and foolish.”
The concept “risks the rest of the world thinking that we are an unbalanced and unreliable partner because our president makes insane proposals,” Coons mentioned, noting the irony of the proposal coming shortly after Trump had moved to dismantle the U.S. Company for Worldwide Growth.
“Why on earth would we abandon decades of well-established humanitarian programs around the world, and now launch into one of the world’s greatest humanitarian challenges?” Coons mentioned.
Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian American member of Congress from Michigan, accused Trump in a social media publish of “openly calling for ethnic cleansing” with the concept of resettling Gaza’s complete inhabitants.
Rising reported from Bangkok. Related Press writers Zeke Miller in Washington, Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, Simina Mistreanu in Taipei, Taiwan, Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Samy Magdy in Cairo and Charlotte McLay in Wellington, New Zealand, contributed to this report.
