Trump says Israel would hand over Gaza after fighting, no US troops needed
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Israel would turn the Gaza Strip over to the United States after the fighting ends, said US President Donald Trump.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on Feb 6 that Israel would hand over Gaza to the US after the fighting was over and the enclave’s population was already resettled elsewhere, which meant no US troops would be needed on the ground.
A day after the worldwide condemnation of Mr Trump’s announcement
Mr Trump, who had previously declined to rule out deploying US troops to Gaza, clarified his plans in comments on his Truth Social web platform.
“The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting,” he said.
Palestinians “would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region”.
“No soldiers by the US would be needed!”, he said.
Earlier, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered the army to prepare a plan
Mr Katz said his plan would include exit options via land crossings, as well as special arrangements for departure by sea and air.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem on Feb 6 warned that Mr Trump’s plan to take over Gaza and displace its people was a “declaration of intent to occupy” the Palestinian territory.
The Palestinian militant group also called for “an urgent Arab summit to confront the displacement project” of Palestinians from Gaza, Mr Qassem said in a statement.
Mr Trump’s unexpected announcement on Feb 5, which has sparked anger around the Middle East, came as Israel and Hamas were expected to begin talks on the second round of a fragile ceasefire plan
Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia rejected the proposal outright and Jordan’s King Abdullah, who will meet Mr Trump at the White House next week, said on Feb 5 he rejected any attempts to annex land and displace Palestinians.
Analysts say Mr Trump’s plan to move Palestinians out of Gaza would upend the balance Jordan must strike between ensuring its US aid lifeline and safeguarding its own security.
Mr Oraib Rantawi, who heads the Amman-based Al Quds Centre for Political Studies, said Jordan “could cease to exist if this displacement plan is executed”.
Former Jordanian information minister Samih al-Maaytah said that it would be “political suicide” for Jordan and Egypt, with both countries being “accused of colluding to crush the Palestinian cause”.
Half of Jordan’s population of 11 million is of Palestinian origin, and since the establishment of Israel in 1948, many Palestinians have sought refuge there.
Hamas official Basem Naim accused Mr Katz of trying to cover up “for a state that has failed to achieve any of its objectives in the war on Gaza”, and said Palestinians are too attached to their land to ever leave.
Displacement of Palestinians has been one of the most sensitive issues in the Middle East for decades.
Forced or coerced displacement of a population under military occupation is a war crime, banned under the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
Israeli strikes which killed tens of thousands of people over the past 16 months have forced Palestinians to repeatedly move around within Gaza, seeking safety.
But many say they will never leave the enclave because they fear permanent displacement, like the “Nakba”, or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands were dispossessed of homes in the war at the birth of the state of Israel in 1948.
Mr Katz said countries who have opposed Israel’s military operations in Gaza should take in the Palestinians.
“Countries like Spain, Ireland, Norway and others, which have levelled accusations and false claims against Israel over its actions in Gaza, are legally obligated to allow any Gaza resident to enter their territories,” he said.
REUTERS, AFP
