Palestine Rejects Trump's Plan to Take Over Gaza

Palestine Rejects Trump's Plan to Take Over Gaza
Archive - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (ANTARA/Anadolu)

SEAToday.com,  Jakarta - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas firmly responded to U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to take control of the Gaza Strip and relocate its Palestinian residents.

In an exclusive interview on Wednesday (2/5), Abbas stated, "We will not allow violations of our people's rights. We have fought for these rights for decades, and we will continue to do so."

Abbas added that Trump’s plan is a "serious violation of international law" and emphasized that peace and stability in the region can only be achieved through the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state. "This solution will not be realized without an independent Palestinian state," Abbas said during his press conference in Ramallah.

Abbas’ statement followed Trump’s controversial remarks made during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, where Trump revealed his plan for the U.S. to "take over" Gaza and relocate its Palestinian residents. Trump even claimed he could transform the war-torn region into the "Riviera of the Middle East."

Abbas firmly responded to Trump’s claim, stating that "Gaza is an integral part of Palestinian land, alongside the West Bank and East Jerusalem."

He stressed, "No one has the right to decide the future of the Palestinian people except the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), as the legitimate and recognized representative of our people."

Abbas also urged the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council to fulfill their responsibilities in enforcing international resolutions and protecting the inherent rights of the Palestinian people.

Meanwhile, in an interview with reporters in Cairo, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki revealed that Arab countries also strongly rejected Trump’s proposal. "We reiterate that the forced relocation of Palestinians is unacceptable. We continue to support the two-state solution as the fair resolution to this conflict," al-Maliki stated.

On January 25, Trump sparked outrage with his proposal to relocate Palestinian residents of Gaza to Jordan and Egypt. Both neighboring countries of Palestine quickly responded with firm opposition to the idea.

Following the ceasefire agreement, which took effect on January 19, Israel has killed over 47,500 Palestinians in Gaza. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes. Israel is also facing a genocide lawsuit at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its military actions in Gaza.