Trump's Gaza plan sparks widespread Arab and international outrage and rejection

US President Donald Trump's announcement that his country will control the Gaza Strip after displacing the Palestinians and settling them in several countries "or one large region" has sparked widespread reactions around the world.

The first response came from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for which the US President is preparing a plan to include it in the normalization agreements. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, in an official statement, that its position on the establishment of a Palestinian state is “firm, fixed and unshakable,” noting that the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, “confirmed this position in a clear and explicit manner that does not allow for any interpretation under any circumstances.”

Egypt: Fixed position

For his part, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly confirmed on Wednesday that Egypt's position is "firm on the Palestinian issue." Madbouly said at the weekly meeting of the Egyptian government: "Egypt also has a firm position on the importance of rebuilding the Gaza Strip."

He added: "The Egyptian state is keen on continuous coordination with Arab countries and all friends from different countries of the world to confront various challenges," referring to recent phone calls between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and a number of leaders and heads of state and government, including King Abdullah II of Jordan and King Hamad bin Isa of Bahrain.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aati stressed on Wednesday the importance of a Palestinian Authority taking over the Gaza Strip, hours after US President Donald Trump suggested the United States "control" the Strip.

During a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, Abdel-Ati expressed "Egypt's full support for the Palestinian government and its reform plans," stressing "the importance of empowering the Palestinian Authority politically and economically, and assuming its duties in the Gaza Strip, as it is part of the occupied Palestinian territories."

Abdel-Ati pointed out that his country fully supports the Palestinian government and its reform plans, stressing the importance of ensuring the sustainability of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and implementing all of its provisions in its three time stages.

Regarding the humanitarian situation in the Strip, Abdel-Ati said that early recovery projects and programs must proceed, rubble must be removed, and humanitarian aid must be delivered at an accelerated pace without Palestinians leaving Gaza, in light of their attachment to their land and their refusal to leave it.

He stressed Egypt's support for the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, and the pursuit of reaching a permanent and just political solution to the Palestinian issue, through the two-state solution, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in a way that prevents the recurrence of repeated cycles of violence once and for all.

The Egyptian Journalists Syndicate also expressed its "strong rejection and condemnation of the racist and aggressive statements made by President Trump" on Wednesday. The syndicate said in a statement that Trump's statements "take the region back to the eras of hateful colonialism."

He pointed out that Trump "challenges decades of partisan American support for the two-state solution," calling on Congress to "stand up to this dangerous and reckless plan," as he described it.

In the same context, Democratic US Senator Chris Murphy wrote in a post on the “X” platform that Trump “has completely lost his mind,” considering that “the US invasion of Gaza will lead to the massacre of thousands of American soldiers and war in the Middle East for decades. It’s like a bad joke.”

Meanwhile, Democratic Representative Jake Auchincloss, in an interview with NewsNation, described Trump's announcement as "reckless and unreasonable," adding that it "could spoil the second phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas."

“We have to look at Trump’s motivations,” he said. “As always, when Trump proposes a policy, there’s a connection to cronyism and self-serving.” Referring to Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, he said: “They want to turn the sector into resorts.”

“Many Gazans are descendants of Palestinians who fled parts of present-day Israel and were never able to return to their former homes,” said Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. “I doubt that many of them would be willing to leave a shattered Gaza.”

For its part, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) considered that Gaza "belongs to the Palestinian people, not to the United States," considering President Trump's call to displace Palestinians from their land "totally unacceptable."

He believed that "if the Palestinian people are forcibly expelled from Gaza, this crime against humanity would ignite a large-scale conflict, hammer the final nail into the coffin of international law, and destroy what remains of our nation's image and international standing."

The Arab American Institute said, "If the president is truly interested in bringing peace to the Middle East, he should support the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination on their historical land, in accordance with international law, and not talk about illegal forced transfer."

• Türkiye

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan denounced US President Donald Trump's plan to transfer Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip, describing it as "unacceptable."

"Trump's statements on Gaza are unacceptable," Fidan told Turkey's Anadolu Agency, stressing that "expelling (Palestinians) from Gaza is an unacceptable issue, neither from our side nor from the countries of the region. There is no need to even discuss it."

• Britain

The people of Gaza “must be allowed to return home” and the UK “must be with them” in rebuilding on the road to a two-state solution, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said today, following Donald Trump’s comments.

"The most important issue about the ceasefire is that it is sustainable, and we see that through the stages," he added, in response to a question from Sir Ed Davey in the House of Commons about President Trump's comments.

He said there were two images that stuck in his mind: “The first image is of Emily Damari [the British-Israeli woman who was held hostage] reunited with her mother. The second image is of thousands of Palestinians walking through the rubble trying to find their homes and communities in Gaza.

"They must be allowed to return to their homes, they must be allowed to rebuild, and we must be with them in this rebuilding process on the road to a two-state solution," he continued.

Foreign Minister David Lammy, in a carefully scripted response to a question at a news conference in Kiev, said whether Trump's idea, widely condemned as ethnic cleansing, would breach international law.

"Donald Trump is right... looking at these scenes of Palestinians who have been horribly displaced over many months of war, it is clear that Gaza is lying in ruins," the British Foreign Secretary said.

But he added: "We have always been clear in our view that we should see two states, and we should see Palestinians able to live and thrive in their homeland in Gaza, in the West Bank. That's what we want to get to."

“That’s why it’s important that we move from the first phase of this hostage deal, to the second phase, to the third phase, and the reconstruction of Gaza. And we will play our part in supporting the reconstruction, working side by side with the Palestinian Authority and the Gulf and Arab partners. This is the guarantee to ensure a future for the Palestinians in their homeland,” he added.

• France

France on Wednesday rejected US President Donald Trump's comments that the United States would take control of Gaza after resettling its residents elsewhere, saying it violated international law and would destabilise the region.

"France reiterates its opposition to any forced displacement of the Palestinian population in Gaza, which would constitute a serious violation of international law, an attack on the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians, a major obstacle to the two-state solution and a major factor of destabilization for our close partners, Egypt and Jordan, as well as the entire region," Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoyne said in a statement.

Lemoine added that the future of Gaza should not be within the control of a third country, but within the framework of a future Palestinian state.

• China

China has said it opposes the “forcible transfer” of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. “China has always maintained that Palestinian rule over Palestinians is the basic principle for the governance of Gaza after the war, and we oppose the forcible transfer of Gaza residents,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said in response to a question about the Trump plan at a regular press conference, according to The Times of Israel on Wednesday.

• Russia

For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Russia believes that a settlement in the Middle East is possible only on the basis of a two-state solution. Peskov stressed Moscow's position that the only way to resolve the conflict in the Middle East is to create a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel.

"This is the hypothesis set out in the relevant UN Security Council resolution, and this is the hypothesis that the vast majority of countries concerned with this problem agree on. We proceed from it and support it, and we believe that this is the only possible option," he told reporters.

Peskov added that Trump's idea of resettlement was rejected by major Arab capitals.

• Brazil

In this regard, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva confirmed today, Wednesday, that his American counterpart’s proposal for the United States to “control” the Gaza Strip is “difficult to understand,” stressing that “the Palestinians are the ones who are most deserving of concern for the fate of their land.”

"The ones who should be concerned about the fate of Gaza are the Palestinians, who need to be compensated for everything that was destroyed so that they can rebuild their homes, hospitals and schools and live with dignity and respect," the leftist president said in an interview with Brazilian radio. "The proposal is almost incomprehensible."

• Australia

The Australian position was highlighted, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that his country's position "is the same as it was last year," stressing his government's support for the "two-state solution."

• Scotland

Scottish First Minister John Swinney has criticised US President Donald Trump's plan to seize Gaza and displace Palestinians from the territory to neighbouring countries, particularly Egypt and Jordan.

“After months of collective punishment in Gaza and the deaths of over 40,000 people, any proposal to displace Palestinians from their homes is unacceptable and dangerous,” Sweeney said in a post on the X platform on Wednesday.

He stated that he opposed ethnic cleansing, and that only a two-state solution would bring lasting peace.

• Amnesty International

Meanwhile, Paul O'Brien, executive director of Amnesty International USA, said, "Removing all Palestinians from Gaza amounts to destroying them as a people. Gaza is their homeland." He acknowledged that "the death and destruction in Gaza is the result of the Israeli government killing civilians by the thousands, often with American bombs."

• Human Rights Watch

For its part, Human Rights Watch warned against the displacement of Palestinians, saying, "Displacing Palestinians would be a morally heinous act."

She added that "the United States will be complicit in the gross violations committed by the Israeli government in Gaza as long as it continues to provide weapons and other military assistance.

"The Israeli authorities committed war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide during their attacks on Gaza," she said.

(New Arab)