Responding to Trump, Arab nations reject transferring Gazans ‘under any circumstances’
Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Palestinian Authority and Arab League say such plans would pose a threat to regional stability, risk expanding conflict
The Times of Israel
Feb 1, 2025
Arab foreign ministers on Saturday rejected the transfer of Palestinians from Gaza “under any circumstances or justifications,” presenting a unified stance against US President Donald Trump’s call for Egypt and Jordan to take in residents of the Strip.
In a joint statement following a meeting in Cairo, the foreign ministers and officials from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League said they were looking forward to working with Trump’s administration to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, based on a two-state solution.
The foreign ministers rejected any “infringement of the inalienable rights” of Palestinians, whether by “settlement, expulsion, home demolitions, annexation, depopulation of the land of its people through displacement, encouraged transfer or the uprooting of Palestinians from their land.”
The statement warned that such plans “threaten the region’s stability, risk expanding the conflict, and undermine prospects for peace and coexistence among its peoples.”
Trump insisted on Thursday that Jordan and Egypt will support a proposal to resettle Palestinians in their countries rather than in a rebuilt Gaza Strip, despite flat refusals from both countries to consider the move.
“They will do it. They will do it. They’re gonna do it, okay? We do a lot for them, and they’re gonna do it,” Trump said when asked about the proposal during a photo op in the Oval Office
Both Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi and Jordan’s King Abdullah explicitly rejected the proposal on Wednesday.
“Regarding what is being said about the displacement of Palestinians, it can never be tolerated or allowed because of its impact on Egyptian national security,” Sissi said.
Trump said earlier this week that the issue would be discussed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he travels to Washington next week.
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who has spent the past week on a diplomatic trip around the region, including a visit to Gaza during his larger trip to Israel, told Axios Thursday that there is “almost nothing left” of the Strip and rebuilding the war-ravaged enclave could take 10 to 15 years.
“People are moving north to get back to their homes and see what happened and turn around and leave… There is no water and no electricity. It is stunning just how much damage occurred there,” Witkoff told the US news website after visiting Gaza.
Witkoff also told Axios he has not discussed with Trump the idea of moving Palestinians from Gaza.
A UN damage assessment released this month showed that clearing over 50 million tons of rubble left in the aftermath of Israel’s campaign could take 21 years and cost up to $1.2 billion.
The debris is believed to be contaminated with asbestos, with some refugee camps struck during the war known to have been built with the material.
The rubble also likely contains human remains. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry estimates that 10,000 bodies are missing under the debris.
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