Arab states, Europe say Gaza integral part of future Palestinian state amid Trump’s takeover plan

BY

Amr Mohamed Kandil

-

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 - 10:44 GMT

BY

Amr Mohamed Kandil

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 - 10:44 GMT

US President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, February 4, 2025 - White House

US President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, February 4, 2025 - White House

CAIRO – 6 February 2025: Both the Arab and European worlds have slammed US President Donald Trump’s plan to “take over” the war-battered Gaza Strip, stressing that the enclave constitutes a part of a future Palestinian state within the desired two-state solution.

At a joint press conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, Trump proposed that the US “will take over” the Gaza Strip and develop it, while moving Palestinians elsewhere.

“The US will take over the Gaza Strip … and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site,” Trump said, claiming that his country will turn Gaza into a development project that could be “the Riviera of the Middle East.”

His proposal has drawn global condemnation from Arab states, world powers including Russia, China and Germany as well as US Democratic lawmakers.

Trump’s plan, if implemented, seems to bring the curtain down on hopes for the implementation of a long-awaited and globally-advocated two-state solution with Israelis and Palestinians living peacefully in two separate states.

The Arab League, which encompasses all 22 Arab countries of the world, warned that Trump’s proposal is “a recipe for instability.”

The league said in a statement that this plan does not contribute to achieving the two-state solution, which remains the only viable path to securing peace and security for both Palestinians and Israelis, as well as for the broader region.

The Arab League emphasized in a statement on Wednesday the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

It stressed that the core principles of the Palestinian cause remain a source of complete Arab consensus, adding that the Palestinian people’s presence on their land is a hallmark of their just cause.

“The occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip together constitute the territory of the future Palestinian state, within the framework of a two-state solution, without any separation between them or infringement on the rights of Palestinians,” the league said.

The league expressed “confidence in the US and its president’s desire to achieve a just peace in the region,” but warned that Trump's proposal promotes a scenario of Palestinian displacement, which is rejected both Arab and internationally, and contravenes international law.

Meanwhile, a European Union foreign policy spokesperson said on Wednesday that Gaza “is an integral part of a future Palestinian state,” Reuters reported.

He stressed EU commitment to a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.

"We took note of President Trump's comments. The EU remains firmly committed to a two-state solution, which we believe is the only path to long-term peace for both Israelis and Palestinians," the EU spokesperson said.

Trump’s statement comes amid a fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, which took effect on 19 January after over 15 months of Israeli war that has killed over 47,000 people and forced most of the population to leave their homes.

The agreement has so far saw Hamas’ release of 18 captives out of dozens more still held in Gaza, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Under the ceasefire Hamas and Israel are set to start talks about the second phase of the agreement, which will involve the release of all remaining captives, a permanent end to fighting, and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.

Reconstruction of Gaza is set to take place in the final phase as the Israeli bombardment has damaged or destroyed more than two-thirds of Gaza's structures, according to UN estimates based on satellite data from January.

In response to Trump's remarks, Hamas stressed that it will not allow such "occupation" to happen.

“We emphasize that we, along with our Palestinian people and their living forces, will not allow any country in the world to occupy our land or impose guardianship over our great Palestinian people, who have shed rivers of blood to liberate our land from occupation and establish our Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” the movement said in a statement on Telegram on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stressed that his people will not allow "any infringement on the rights of our people, for which we have struggled for decades and made immense sacrifices to achieve.”

He affirmed that the Palestinian people "will not renounce their land, rights, or sacred sites,” stating that Gaza is an integral part of the State of Palestine, alongside the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which have been occupied since 1967.

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