Arab nations strongly oppose Trump's suggestion to relocate Palestinians, emphasizing the need for a two-state solution. (AP/Khaled Elfiqi)

- Arab nations unite to reject Trump's proposal for relocating Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan.
- Egypt and Jordan express concerns over potential refugee influx and security implications of Trump's suggestion.
- Arab leaders emphasize the importance of a two-state solution and UNRWA's role in supporting Palestinian refugees.
Share
CAIRO — Powerful Arab nations on Saturday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring Egypt and Jordan.
Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League released a joint statement rejecting any plans to move Palestinians out of their territories in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Trump floated the idea last month, saying he would urge the leaders of Jordan and Egypt to take in Gaza’s now largely homeless population, so that “we just clean out that whole thing.” He added that resettling most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million could be temporary or long term. Some Israel officials had raised the transfer idea early in the war.
“It’s literally a demolition site right now,” Trump said, referring to the vast destruction caused by Israel’s 15-month war with Hamas, now paused by a fragile ceasefire.
Related Story: Sick and Wounded Children Begin Crossing From Gaza to Egypt in First Opening in ...
Arab Nations Warn of Regional Instability
The Arab statement warned that such plans “threaten the region’s stability, risk expanding the conflict, and undermine prospects for peace and coexistence among its peoples.”
The statement followed a meeting in Cairo of top diplomats from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as well as Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior Palestinian official who serves as the main liaison with Israel, and Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
They said they were looking forward to working with the Trump administration to “achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, based on the two-state solution,” according to the statement.
They called for the international community to help “plan and implement” a comprehensive reconstruction plan for Gaza to ensure that Palestinians stay on their land.
Related Story: Trump Set to Sign Order Deporting Pro-Palestinian Exchange Students
Egypt and Jordan Oppose Relocation
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi rejected Trump’s suggestion in a news conference last week, saying that he transfer of Palestinians “can’t ever be tolerated or allowed.”
“The solution to this issue is the two-state solution. It is the establishment of a Palestinian state,” he said. “The solution is not to remove the Palestinian people from their place. No.”
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi also said that his country’s opposition to Trump’s idea was “firm and unwavering.”
El-Sissi’s office said the Egyptian leader received a phone call from Trump on Saturday. The Egyptian readout described the call as “positive,” but didn’t mention Trump’s suggestion.
El-Sissi emphasized the importance of achieving a “permanent peace” in the region, adding that the international community “counts on President Trump’s ability to reach a permanent and historic peace agreement” in the Middle East, according to the Egyptian statement.
Related Story: Key Mediator Egypt Expresses Skepticism of Gaza Cease-Fire Proposal as More ...
Concerns Over Refugee Influx and Security
Egypt and Jordan, along with the Palestinians, worry that Israel would never allow them to return to Gaza once they have left. Egypt and Jordan also fear the impact any such influx of refugees would have on their struggling economies as well as the stability of their governments.
Jordan already is home to more than 2 million Palestinians. Egypt has warned of security implications of transferring large numbers of Palestinians to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, bordering Gaza.
Both countries were the first to make peace with Israel but they support the creation of a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories that Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast War.
The Arab nations also emphasized the role of the main United Nations aid agency for Palestinian refugees as “pivotal, non-replaceable” in providing support to Palestinian refugees. They “vehemently reject any attempts to bypass or downside its role,” according to the statement.
Israel on Thursday formally banned UNRWA after months of attacks from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies who claim the agency is deeply infiltrated by Hamas. UNRWA rejects that claim.
UNRWA provides aid and services to some 2.5 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, as well as 3 million more in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. It has been the main lifeline for Palestinians in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023.
RELATED TOPICS:
Judge Blocks Trump From Placing Thousands of USAID Workers on Leave
6 hours ago
Federal Judge Blocks Musk’s DOGE From Accessing Sensitive Treasury Department Data
6 hours ago
Rookies for Eagles and Chiefs Could Play a Key Role in the Super Bowl
6 hours ago
Sony PlayStation Network Outage Enrages Gamers Around the World
6 hours ago
Trump Says He’s Firing Kennedy Center Board Members, Naming Himself Chairman
6 hours ago
PJ Pickles, the Pajama-Clad Pup, Want to Join Your Loving Home
7 hours ago
Hanford Shooting Leaves One Dead, Another in Critical Condition
22 hours ago
Here’s What We Know About a Commuter Plane Crash in Alaska That Killed 10 People
3 hours ago
Categories

Here’s What We Know About a Commuter Plane Crash in Alaska That Killed 10 People

Trump’s 3rd Week: More Executive Orders, a Trade War That Wasn’t, and a Mideast Jolt

UMass Will Pay Student Who Made Half-Court Shot $10,000 Even Though His Foot Was on Line

Judge Blocks Trump From Placing Thousands of USAID Workers on Leave

Federal Judge Blocks Musk’s DOGE From Accessing Sensitive Treasury Department Data

Rookies for Eagles and Chiefs Could Play a Key Role in the Super Bowl

Sony PlayStation Network Outage Enrages Gamers Around the World
