United States President Donald Trump reiterated the desire to take control of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, 15, during an event with entrepreneurs in Doha, Qatar.
The Republican stated that the territory could become a “zone of freedom” under American administration and that it is “unacceptable” that Gaza Palestinians are living amid the rubble of buildings they collapsed.
The first time Trump came to the idea of taking over Gaza was in February during a press conference at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. At the time, the US president said countries such as Jordan and Egypt could welcome the Palestinians during a transformation of the territory, which would become the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
The initiative was rejected by Arab and Western countries, but enthusiastically received by the hard core of the Netanyahu coalition, which had already led to the possibility of suggesting the voluntary departure of Gaza Palestinians to build new Israeli settlements at the site.
According to an interview given by Trump to the American channel Fox News shortly after the idea of the idea, the 2 million Gaza Palestinians could not return to the territory after the reconstruction.
Two weeks after proposing the plan, the Republican stated that the idea was a “recommendation” and not “mandatory.” “And I say, my plan is the way forward. I think it’s a plan that really works, but I won’t impose. I just will sit down and recommend.”
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Forced deportation or transfer of a civilian population is a violation of international law and a war crime, experts.
After Trump’s new statements on Thursday, the terrorist group Hamas rejected the possibility of Washington to take over the territory. “Gaza is an integral part of Palestinian territory; it is not a real good for sale in the market. We maintain a firm commitment to our land and our national cause, and we are willing to make all the possible sacrifices to preserve our homeland and ensure the future of our people,” said Bassem Naim, a terrorist group officer.
Palestinian resettlement in Africa
According to a report by the Associated Press agency on March 14, USA and Israel contacted authorities from three eastern Africa governments to discuss the use of their territories as possible destinations for the “resettlement of Palestinians” taken from the Gaza Strip.
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Contacts with Sudan, Somalia, and Somalia’s separatist region known as Somaliland reflect US and Israel’s determination to move on with a plane that was widely convicted and raised serious legal and moral issues.
As the three regions are poor, and in some cases plagued by violence, the proposal also launches doubts about Trump’s declared goal of resetting Gaza Palestinians in a “beautiful area”.
Sudan officials said they rejected US attacks, while Somalia and Somaliland officials informed the Associated Press that they were not aware of any contact.
