Roundup: More Mideast countries reject Trump's Gaza relocation plan

CAIRO, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- More countries in the Middle East on Thursday voiced their rejection of a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to take control of the Gaza Strip and relocate its residents elsewhere.

On Tuesday, Trump suggested that the United States will take over Gaza and redevelop it after Palestinians are relocated elsewhere. He made these remarks in a joint press conference at the White House with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Many Arab and Muslim countries have voiced their opposition to the idea of displacing the Gazans from their homeland.

The Palestinian presidency on Thursday said that Palestine and its land, history, and holy sites are not for sale, emphasizing that the rights of the Palestinian people are neither negotiable nor subject to compromise.

In a press statement, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesman of the Palestinian presidency, said, "The Palestinian people, who have made immense sacrifices in defense of their national rights, will not relinquish even an inch of their land, including the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem."

Any proposed solutions, he insisted, must align with international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Egypt reaffirmed its commitment on Thursday to collaborate with international partners and allies to implement plans for Gaza's early recovery, rubble removal, and reconstruction within a specific timeframe.

This plan will be implemented as the Palestinians will remain in the Gaza Strip, who refuse to be displaced, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

The statement also rejected "any proposal or vision" that seeks to resolve the Palestinian issue by uprooting the Palestinian people, displacing them from their historical land, or seizing that land, whether temporarily or permanently, while affirming that Egypt will not be "party to any such actions."

Algeria on Thursday strongly condemned the proposal aimed at displacing Gaza residents, warning that such moves are part of a broader scheme to undermine the Palestinian national cause.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Algeria reiterated its firm stance that achieving lasting peace in the Middle East is inseparable from upholding the rights of the Palestinian people to an independent state.

Algeria underscored its support for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on the two-state solution, considering it "the only just and permanent resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

The Libyan Foreign Ministry on Thursday also rejected any attempt to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the State of Libya confirms its firm and supportive position on the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people ... foremost among which is the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital," the ministry said in a statement.

"Libya stresses its absolute rejection of any practices aimed at the forced displacement or arbitrary expulsion of Palestinians, changing the demographic composition of the occupied territories, or imposing racist policies that perpetuate the occupation and violate the most basic human rights," the statement noted.

It condemned any "acts of violence targeting civilians or acts used as a pretext to perpetuate the occupation and undermine the chances of achieving a just peace."

On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected the proposal during a joint press conference in Ankara with his visiting German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

"Everyone has a great responsibility in maintaining the ceasefire in Gaza. As the international community, we must continue our efforts for a two-state solution," Erdogan emphasized.

In response to Trump's proposal, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that "neither the region nor we (as Türkiye) can accept such a situation."

"The very thought of it is a pointless endeavor. We oppose any initiatives that seek to exclude the people of Gaza from the equation," Fidan said during a live televised speech.

"Obviously, it is completely unacceptable, and by no means can it bring peace to the region," Gulru Gezer, a former Turkish diplomat and foreign policy analyst, told Xinhua on Thursday. "On the contrary, it will only bring greater chaos, not only to Palestine and Israel but to the broader Middle East."

During a meeting on Thursday with Palestinian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Mustafa, Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit reiterated the U.S. proposal for displacing the Gazans was rejected by Arab countries, according to a statement by the AL.

During the meeting, Aboul-Gheit urged to speed up reconstruction of the Gaza Strip to block the path to the displacement of Gazans.

"The Palestinian people will not allow the repetition of cleansing Palestinians under the pretext of voluntary or forced exit," the statement added.