Washington, DC, February 5 :
World has reacted to US President Donald Trump's announcement that United States will "take over" Gaza Strip, dismantle dangerous weapons, get rid of the destroyed buildings and work for economic development of the area. Calling Trump's plan "ridiculous and absurd," senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said they consider the plan a "recipe for generating chaos and tenison in the region." Abu Zuhri said, "Trump's remarks about his desire to control Gaza are ridiculous and absurd, and any ideas of this kind are capable of igniting the region." He added, "We consider them [the plan] a recipe for generating chaos and tension in the region because the people of Gaza will not allow such plans to pass."
Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou said, "the American racist stance aligns with the Israeli extreme right's position in displacing our people and eliminating our cause."
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheikh said the PLO rejects all calls for the displacement of the Palestinians from their homeland, according to Al Jazeera report. In a post on X, he stated, "The Palestinian leadership affirms its firm position that the two-state solution, in accordance with international legitimacy and international law, is the guarantee of security, stability and peace."
Palestinian delegation to the United Nations leader, Riyad Mansour, said Palestinians in Gaza should be allowed to go back to what were once their "original homes" in Israel. Mansour said, "For those who want to send the Palestinian people to a 'nice place', allow them to go back to their original homes in what is now Israel."
"The Palestinian people want to rebuild Gaza because this is where we belong," he added. Saudi Arabia reiterated its support for independent Palestinian state and said that it would not diplomatic ties with Israel until the creation of such a state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
In a statement on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry stated that country's stance on the establishment of a Palestinian state is "firm and unwavering" and recalled the statement made by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud during his speech at the opening of the first session of the ninth term of the Shura Council on September 18 last year.
In a statement shared on X, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's position on the establishment of a Palestinian state is firm and unwavering. His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister clearly and unequivocally reaffirmed this stance during his speech at the opening of the first session of the ninth term of the Shura Council on September 18, 2024. His Royal Highness emphasized that Saudi Arabia will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that."
US Senator Chris Murphy said US invasion of Gaza would result in the "slaughter of thousands of US troops." In a post on X, Murphy stated, "He's totally lost it. A U.S. invasion of Gaza would lead to the slaughter of thousands of U.S. troops and decades of war in the Middle East. It's like a bad, sick joke."
Democrat lawmaker Van Hollen said, "Trump's proposal to push two million Palestinians out of Gaza and take 'ownership' by force, if necessary, is simply ethnic cleansing by another name." He added, "This declaration will give ammunition to Iran and other adversaries while undermining our Arab partners in the region." He said Trump's proposal defies decades of bipartisan US support for a two-state solution. He added, "Congress must stand up to this dangerous and reckless scheme."
US-based Muslim Advocacy group Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said Gaza belongs to Palestinian people. CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad termed Trump's call to displace Palestinians from their land either permanently or temporarily an "absolute non-starter."
Nihad Awad said, "Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people, not the United States, and President Trump's call to displace Palestinians from their land either temporarily or permanently is an absolute non-starter. Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the entire Muslim world have made it clear that this delusional idea is unacceptable."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, "There are Israeli plans to take full control of the occupied West Bank and attempts to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip," adding that, "practicing a policy of collective punishment is a method that Russia rejects," Al Jazeera reported.
Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed opposition to the forced transfer of the people of Gaza and expressed hope that all parties will take ceasefire and post-conflict governance as an opportunity to bring the Palestinian issue back to a political settlement on the basis of the two-state solution.
Turkiye Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called Trump's announcement "unacceptable" and warned that leaving Palestinians "out of the equation" would result in more conflict. He said that Turkiye would review the measures it had taken against Israel, like cutting off trade, recalling its ambassador if the killing of Palestinians stopped and their conditions changed, according to Al Jazeera report.
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed support for two-state solution, "where both Israelis and Palestinians could live in peace and security". He said, "We've supported a ceasefire, we've supported hostages being released and we've supported aid getting into Gaza."
Albanese refused to react to Trump's statement, saying: "I'm not going to have a running commentary on statements by the president of the United States."
Amnesty International US executive director, Paul O'Brien, said that moving Palestinians out of Gaza was "tantamount to destroying them as a people," as per Al Jazeera report. He said, "Gaza is their home. Gaza's death and destruction is a result of the government of Israel killing civilians by the thousands, often with US bombs," as per the report.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) announced that the United States will take over the Gaza Strip. While addressing a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday (local time), Trump also affirmed that the ongoing ceasefire-hostage deal between Israel and Hamas will be the beginning of a larger and more enduring peace.
"The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it. We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site and getting rid of the destroyed buildings. Create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area," Trump said at the press conference.
"I'm hopeful that this ceasefire could be the beginning of a larger and more enduring peace that will end the bloodshed and killing once and for all. With the same goal in mind, my administration has been moving quickly to restore trust in the alliance and rebuild American strength throughout the region," he added.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu thanked President Donald Trump for inviting him to be the first foreign leader to visit the US in his oath-taking ceremony during his second term and called him the "greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House."
Source: ANI
