MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Arab League opposes Trump's plans for Gaza

Displacing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip is “unacceptable,” Ahmed Abul Gheit said

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abul Gheit spoke Wednesday during the World Governments Summit in Dubai against relocating the Palestinian population living in the Gaza Strip, as US President Donald Trump suggested earlier this month. Abul Gheit thus concurred with Jordan's King Abdullah II, who made similar remarks after talks with the Republican leader at the White House late Tuesday. Trump had suggested Jordan could be one of the destinations for the Gaza residents after the US takes it over.

“Today, the focus is on Gaza, and tomorrow it will be on the West Bank, to empty Palestine of its historic population,” Abul Gheit said. “It is unacceptable to the Arab world, which has been fighting against this idea for 100 years,” he added. “After resisting this for 100 years, we Arabs will not capitulate now in any way,” he insisted.

Representing Latin America at the event are Presidents Gustavo Petro of Colombia and Bernardo Arévalo of Guatemala. Also attending the Summit are heads of state or government from Indonesia, Poland, Sri Lanka, Kuwait, Armenia, Uganda, Pakistan, Kenya, Libya, and Bangladesh.

Many Arab world leaders as well as the governments of Iran, China, Brazil, and some European countries also condemned Trump's idea, which included Egypt as the other possible future land for Gazans. Authorities in Cairo outlined a blueprint Tuesday for rebuilding Gaza while its population can continue to live there.

Despite his overall rejection citing that more Arab countries besides Jordan and Egypt would be needed to accept all of Gaza's population, Abdullah II told Trump that his country could welcome “immediately” some 2,000 Palestinian children currently undergoing cancer treatment or were or otherwise ill. Also participating in that meeting at the Oval Office was US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“I finally see somebody that can take us across the finish line to bring stability, peace, and prosperity to all of us in the region,” the monarch said. After spending about two hours at the White House,

Abdullah II headed to Capitol Hill to meet with a bipartisan group of lawmakers. “I reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank,” he posted on social media. “This is the unified Arab position. Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all,” he also wrote. Jordan is already home to over 2 million Palestinians.

Regarding his plans for Gaza, Trump said: “I can tell you about real estate. They’re going to be in love with it.” The US President also foresaw that the terrorist group Hamas controlling Ganza would not keep its end of the ceasefire agreement and return the Israeli hostages. “I don’t think they’re going to make the deadline, personally,“ Trump stressed. ”They want to play tough guy. We’ll see how tough they are.”

Hamas accused Israel of violating the truce and said it would delay future releases of hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The organization also called Trump’s comments “racist” and “a call for ethnic cleansing.” The terrorists also claimed Trump was seeking to “liquidate the Palestinian cause and deny the national rights of the Palestinian people.”