WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump insisted on Wednesday that “nobody is expelling any Palestinians” from Gaza.
The president made the remarks in response to a reporter’s question during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin at the White House.
The comments contradict Trump’s previous plan for the US to take ownership of Gaza, expel its Palestinian population, and turn it into a Middle Eastern “Riviera.”
The plan, announced in February during a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, drew global condemnation.
It reinforced long-standing Palestinian fears of being permanently driven from their homes, and was met with widespread international rejection.
Egypt, Jordan and Gulf Arab states are concerned that any such plan would destabilize the entire region.
In response to the plan, Arab states adopted a $53 billion Egyptian reconstruction plan for Gaza that would avoid displacing Palestinians from the territory.
Arab foreign ministers said on Wednesday they would continue consultations with Trump’s special envoy over Egypt’s plan for rebuilding the Gaza Strip, an alternative to Trump’s proposed takeover of the Palestinian territory.
Consultations and coordination on the plan would continue with the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff, as a “basis for the reconstruction efforts” in Gaza, according to a joint statement following a meeting of the foreign ministers in Doha.
Courtesy: arabnews