Tehran, Karafarinane Eghtesad – U.S allies in the Arab world and international figures have condemned President Donald Trump’s plans for the United States to “take over” the Gaza Strip after Palestinians living in the besieged enclave have been forcibly resettled in neighboring countries.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Arab League said Trump’s shocking proposal was “a recipe for instability” in the region, and that any forced displacement of Palestinians “is rejected on the Arab and international levels.”

The 22-member regional bloc emphasized that the proposal would be in “violation of international law.”

Trump, in a news conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, had said the United States should “take over” the Gaza Strip and resettle its residents in neighboring countries.

The proposal was widely rejected by U.S. allies in the region, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Türkiye, as well as by UN officials and human rights organizations. It was also met with strong criticism from European countries that warned the proposal would run roughshod over the two-state solution. 

'Ethnic cleansing must be avoided'

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to announce at a UN meeting scheduled for Wednesday evening that world leaders must ensure that “ethnic cleansing” is avoided while dealing with the situation in Gaza after the war.

“It is vital that we stay true to the bedrock of international law. It is essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing,” Guterres will say, according to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

The UN chief will also reaffirm the two-state solution as the pathway toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he said.

Forced displacement of Palestinians ‘strictly prohibited’

On Wednesday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, also strongly denounced Trump’s plan for Gaza.

Turk pointed out that international law is “very clear” on this matter and that any forced transfer of people from their territory is “strictly prohibited.”

The UN official implied that such proposals could sabotage an already tenuous ceasefire agreement in Gaza, stating that it is important that “we move towards the next phase of the ceasefire” and “reconstruct Gaza.”

‘Unlawful, immoral, irresponsible’

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, also condemned Trump’s contentious plan for Gaza, calling it “unlawful, immoral, and completely irresponsible.”

She warned that Trump’s proposal, which he announced during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, incites the “international crime” of forced displacement.

“What he proposes is … nonsense,” Albanese said during a news conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. “It will make the regional crisis even worse.”

Paul O’Brien, executive director at Amnesty International US, said forcing Palestinians from their homeland in Gaza was “tantamount to destroying them as a people.”

“Gaza is their home. Gaza’s death and destruction is a result of Israel killing civilians by the thousands, often with US bombs,” he said.

‘Moral abomination’

Omar Shakir, the Palestine country director of Human Rights Watch, condemned the idea of forcibly removing Palestinians from their occupied homeland as a “moral abomination.”

“International humanitarian law forbids the forced displacement of the population of an occupied territory,” he told Reuters in response to Trump’s remarks.

He added, “When such forced displacement is widespread, it can amount to a war crime or a crime against humanity.”

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