International backlash after Trump proposal to take over Gaza

Many global leaders expressed opposition Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said he wanted to take control of the Gaza strip and "permanently" resettle Palestinians in other countries.

Trump's shock proposal to rebuild Gaza and turn it into "the Riviera of the Middle East" triggered a flurry of condemnations in the Middle East and deep reservations among US allies.

- HAMAS -

Gaza rulers Hamas said that Trump's proposal "will only put oil on the fire". The militant group said in a statement: "Our Palestinian people ... will not allow any state in the world to occupy our land or impose guardianship on our great Palestinian people who have offered rivers of blood to liberate our land from occupation and to establish our state with Jerusalem as its capital."

- PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY -

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas hit back at Trump's proposal. Abbas and the Palestinian leadership "expressed their strong rejection of calls to seize the Gaza Strip and displace Palestinians outside their homeland," Abbas's office said in a statement, adding that "legitimate Palestinian rights are not negotiable".

- ISRAEL -

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stood next to Trump as he unveiled his surprise plan, said it was "worth paying attention to this" idea and that US control of the Gaza strip "could change history".

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich later vowed to "definitively bury... the dangerous idea of a Palestinian state".

- UNITED NATIONS -

The head of the UN refugee agency called Trump's statement "very surprising". Filippo Grandi, the United Nations' high commissioner for refugees, told AFP it was not "clear" what the idea entailed, which made it difficult to comment on such a "sensitive issue".

UN rights chief Volker Turk later insisted that deporting people from occupied territory was strictly prohibited. "The right to self-determination is a fundamental principle of international law and must be protected by all states," Turk said.

- CHINA -

China said it opposed the "forced transfer" of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Asked about Trump's statement at a press conference, foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said "China has always maintained that Palestinian rule over Palestinians is the basic principle of the post-war governance of Gaza."

- FRANCE -

The French Foreign ministry said Gaza should not be controlled by "a third party". "France will continue to campaign for the implementation of the two-state solution, the only one that can guarantee long-term peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike," the ministry said.

- TURKEY -

Turkey lashed out at Trump's proposal, calling it an "unacceptable issue". Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the official news agency Anadolu that relocating Palestinians from Gaza was something "neither we nor the region can accept". He added it was "wrong to even bring it up for discussion".

- EGYPT -

Egypt gave strong support to Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas, calling for the authority to govern the Gaza Strip. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called for the swift reconstruction of Gaza, without the displacement of Palestinians. In talks with Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Mustafa in Cairo, the two agreed on "the importance of moving forward with early recovery projects" and "at an accelerated pace".

- BRITAIN -

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Palestinians "must be allowed home" in Gaza, reinforcing his backing of a two-state solution.

- GERMANY -

Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said "it is clear that Gaza –- like the West Bank and east Jerusalem –- belongs to the Palestinians. They form the basis for a future Palestinian state."

- AUSTRALIA -

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his country's long-standing support for a two-state solution in the Middle East had not changed. "Australia's position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year, and it was 10 years ago," he said.

- BRAZIL -

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Trump's idea was "something almost incomprehensible". Lula told Brazilian radio that "what happened in Gaza was a genocide, and honestly, I don't know if the United States, which is involved in all this (in terms of support for Israel) would be the best placed to take care of Gaza."

© Agence France-Presse