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Powerful Arab nations on Saturday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring Egypt and Jordan. Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League released a joint statement rejecting any plans to move Palestinians out of their territories in Gaza and the West Bank.
The statement warned that such plans “threaten the region’s stability, risk expanding the conflict, and undermine prospects for peace and coexistence among its peoples.”
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U.S. President Donald Trump, Gaza displaced head back north
(Photo: Omar AL-Qattaa / AFP)
The statement followed a meeting in Cairo of top diplomats from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as well as Hussein al-Sheikh — a senior Palestinian official who serves as the main liaison with Israel — and Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul-Gheit.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday rejected the idea that Egypt would facilitate the displacement of Gazans and said Egyptians would take to the streets to express their disapproval. He told a news conference that the transfer of Palestinians “can’t ever be tolerated or allowed.”
“The solution to this issue is the two-state solution. It is the establishment of a Palestinian state,” he said. “The solution is not to remove the Palestinian people from their place. No.”
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U.S. President Donald Trump says Arab nations should accept Gazan civilians
However, on Thursday, Trump reiterated the idea, saying: "We do a lot for them, and they are going to do it," in apparent reference to abundant U.S. aid, including military assistance, to both Egypt and Jordan. told a news conference that the transfer of Palestinians “can’t ever be tolerated or allowed.”
The representatives who met in Cairo said they discussed the need to maintain the cease-fire in Gaza and the options for the mechanism to enable the Palestinian Authority (PA)to play a role in ruling the Strip. They said efforts must be underway to make sure the deal is comopleted in full. They also highlighted the role UNRWA played in Gaza and rejected any partition of the territory. "Israel must withdraw from all of the territory," they said.
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The Arab ministers also welcomed Egypt's plans to hold an international conference with the United Nations that would be focused on rebuilding Gaza, which has been mostly flattened during the 15 months war between Israel and Hamas. No date has been set yet for the conference. (Reporting by Hatem Maher and Menna Alaa El-Din; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Angus MacSwan)