Palestinian Authorities, Hamas, Jordan Strongly Oppose, Calling it “Incitement of War Crimes”
(Istanbul = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Dong-ho – Donald Trump’s proposal that neighboring Arab countries take in residents of the Gaza Strip has been met with a welcoming response from Israel, while armed Palestinian faction Hamas has strongly opposed it.
According to the Times of Israel on the 26th (local time), Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right finance minister, stated, “For the past 76 years, the majority of the population in the Gaza Strip has had to live in harsh conditions with intentions to destroy the state of Israel.”
He continued, “Helping them find a new and better place to start is an excellent idea,” and he expressed willingness to cooperate with the Prime Minister and the Cabinet to swiftly establish an operative plan to implement this proposal.
He also criticized the international community’s call for a “two-state solution,” stating that “establishing a Palestinian state by dividing the territory is an unrealistic solution.”
Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the “Otzma Yehudit” (Jewish Power) party, also wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that he highly values Trump’s idea of relocating Gaza residents to Jordan and Egypt.
He urged, “It would be wise for Israel to promptly implement the plan proposed by President Trump, the leader of the world’s most powerful country,” calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately encourage voluntary emigration.
The Palestinian side has reacted strongly against this.
Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority (PA), stated in a declaration, “We strongly reject and condemn any plans aiming to relocate our people from the Gaza Strip.”
Abbas emphasized that “Palestinians will not abandon their land and holy sites.”
Bassem Naim, a Hamas political bureau official, told the AFP news agency that “their plans to relocate us and create another homeland have failed for decades,” and he expressed determination to thwart it again.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a militant organization linked to Hamas, criticized Trump’s remarks, claiming that proposals forcing Palestinians to leave their land amount to “incitement of war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
Trump’s comments have also sparked opposition from neighboring countries like Jordan and Egypt, which were mentioned as potential relocation areas for Gaza residents.
Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s Foreign Minister, declared, “Our position rejecting the relocation of Palestinian residents is firm and unwavering,” stressing that “Jordan is for Jordanians, and Palestine is for Palestinians.”
In the past, Egypt has also consistently stated its opposition to accepting Palestinian residents into the country.
The previous day, President Trump revealed that he proposed the idea of relocating Gaza residents to Arab countries during a call with King Abdullah II of Jordan.
Trump mentioned, “Since almost everything (in Gaza) has collapsed and people are dying, I would prefer to work with some Arab countries to build housing elsewhere where they can live peacefully.”
He further added, “I want Egypt and Jordan to take in the people,” emphasizing the need to “clean out” everything.
This proposal of relocating Gaza residents to neighboring Arab countries like Jordan and Egypt marks a divergence from the existing U.S. administration’s stance, which has traditionally supported the two-state solution where Israel and Palestine coexist as sovereign states.