Arab FMs: Gaza displacement is ethnic cleansing

WASHINGTON, TUESDAY - Several foreign ministers of Arab countries and Palestinian officials have affirmed their rejection of the discourse on relocating the Palestinian people from Gaza. They referred to the proposal by United States President Donald Trump as ethnic cleansing.

Reuters news agency reported on Tuesday (4/2/2025) that five Arab foreign ministers and a senior Palestinian official sent a letter of rejection to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday. The letter was signed by the foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the Palestinian presidential advisor, Hussein al-Sheikh. According to US media Axios, they met last weekend in Cairo, Egypt.

"We affirm our rejection of any efforts to eliminate the rights of the Palestinian people, including through resettlement or expulsion or annexation of their homeland by emptying the Gaza Strip of the Palestinian people who are the rightful owners of the Gaza land under any circumstances," stated the letter from the foreign ministers.

They said Trump's proposal would destabilize the region, widen the conflict and endanger the ongoing peace process.

"The reconstruction of Gaza must involve the direct participation and involvement of all the people of Gaza. Palestinians will remain on their land and help rebuild it," the letter continued.

"And, they must not be stripped of their rights during reconstruction and they must be the owners of that process with the support of the international community."

On January 25, Trump proposed that Jordan and Egypt take in Palestinians from Gaza. Both countries rejected it.

Qatar, which acts as a mediator in the Hamas-Israel conflict along with Egypt and the US, emphasized the importance of Palestinians "returning to their homes and homeland." Following the Arab countries, Iran strongly condemned Trump's proposal to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt or Jordan.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, on Monday, warned that relocating Gaza residents is tantamount to ethnic cleansing. "Securing Palestinian sovereignty rights rather than imposing ideas that actually support the ethnic extermination of Gaza," said Baghaei, as quoted by Al Jazeera.

"Cleaning Gaza is the occupier's plan to erase the Gaza Strip and all of Palestine from the face of the earth," said Baghaei. He added that no third party has the right to decide the future of the Palestinian territories.

The reconstruction of Gaza must be through the direct involvement and participation of all the people of Gaza.

Trump echoed Palestinian fears that they would be permanently uprooted from their homeland. Asked whether the proposal was short-term or long-term, Trump said it could be both.

Despite continued rejections, Trump is confident that Egypt and Jordan will eventually comply with his wishes to accept Gazans. “They will do it,” he told reporters last week. “We’ve done a lot for Egypt and Jordan. They will comply with us,” Trump said.

On Monday, Trump said there was no guarantee that the ceasefire in Gaza would last. The ceasefire, which went into effect on Jan. 19 to end 15 months of fighting between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, was initially intended to last 42 days.

Trump will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday at the White House. They will discuss the Gaza issue, including a second phase of the ceasefire.

Before leaving Israel, Netanyahu said he and Trump would discuss “victory over Hamas,” how to counter Iran and the release of the remaining hostages.

They are also believed to have discussed ways to push for the opening of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Saudi Arabia has said it will only agree to the proposal if the war ends and a Palestinian state is established covering Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem along pre-1967 borders.

One Hamas official, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity because of sensitivity, said Hamas had told mediators it was ready to start a second phase of ceasefire negotiations. Another Hamas official said Hamas was looking forward to mediators initiating the next phase of talks.

Under the deal, the second phase of ceasefire talks must begin before the first phase ends. In the first phase, it was agreed to release 33 hostages in exchange for the release of 1,900 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. So far, four exchanges have taken place.

For the second phase, the ceasefire mandates the release of all remaining hostages and the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. If no agreement is reached in the second phase, many fear that war could break out again.

Moreover, the far-right camp in Netanyahu's governing coalition has called for the war to continue. Losing their support could shake Netanyahu's position at the top of Israel. He doesn't want to lose that. (AFP/Reuters)