Palestine president, Mahmoud Abbas, and several allies, and adversaries alike, have rejected the United States’ proposal to take over the Gaza Strip, and rebuild the already ruined region.
Abbas, alongside the French government, and many other European countries, including Germany, Spain, and Poland, rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestions of displacing over 2 million Palestinians to nearby countries, so as to enhance a quick reconstruction.
Trump triggered uproar after suggesting that Palestinians in Gaza should be relocated to Jordan, and Egypt, calling the enclave a “demolition site” after Israel’s war. His proposal, however, was vehemently rejected by Amman, and Cairo.
In response, Abbas, during a press briefing on Wednesday, declined the U.S. offer, saying, “We will not allow the rights of our people, for which we have struggled for decades, to be infringed upon”.
“These calls represent a serious violation of international law, and peace, and stability in the region will not be achieved without the establishment of the Palestinian state,” he added.
Abbas stressed that the Gaza Strip “is an integral part of the Palestinian land”, alongside the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
“The legitimate Palestinian rights are non-negotiable,” he added. “No one has the right to make decisions on the future of the Palestinian people, except the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the official, and legitimate representative body of the Palestinian people,” Abbas said.
The Palestinian leader urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and the Security Council to assume their responsibilities, to enforce international resolutions, and protect the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.
Dismissing the proposal, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that the only way forward for peace is a negotiated two-state solution. “It is clear that Gaza—like the West Bank, and East Jerusalem—belongs to the Palestinians,” Baerbock said, warning that forcibly expelling the civilian population would violate international law, and fuel further hatred.
She stressed that the United Nations, European Union, and G7 have consistently opposed Israeli settlements on Palestinian territories.
In a statement posted on its official page, the Foreign Ministry stated that “The future of Gaza must be inscribed, not in the perspective of control by a third state, but in the framework of a future Palestinian State, under the aegis of the Palestinian Authority”.
“France reiterates its opposition to any forced displacement of the Palestinian population of Gaza, which would constitute a serious violation of international law, an attack on the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians, but also a major obstacle to the two-state solution,” it added.
Responding to a question on Trump’s Gaza remark, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Palestinians in Gaza “must be allowed to return home, they must be allowed to rebuild, and we should be with them in that rebuild, on the way to a two-state solution”.
Spain also joined the chorus of disapproval, with Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares firmly rejecting the idea of US control over Gaza.
“Gaza is the land of the Palestinian Gazans, the Palestinian Gazans must stay in Gaza,” Albares said. “Spain reaffirmed its commitment to a future Palestinian state, that includes Gaza as part of its territory,” Albares added.
Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna expressed support for a two-state solution, and emphasized the need for Palestinian involvement in the peace process.
“Just like in the case of Ukraine, where we say that you can’t decide about Ukraine without Ukraine, if we’re talking about the peace process, similarly, you can’t decide about Palestine without the Palestinians, this is Poland’s position,” Szejna added.