The office of Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday expressed its strong opposition to any plan aiming to deport Palestinian Arabs from the Gaza Strip, responding to comments made by US President Donald Trump.
In a statement, Abbas’ office said, "This constitutes crossing the red lines we have repeatedly warned about," and stressed that "the Palestinian people will not abandon their land and holy places" and "we will not allow the disasters (Nakba) that befell our people in 1948 and 1967 to recur; our people will not leave (their land)."
Abbas’ office thanked Egypt and Jordan for their opposition to the deportation of Gazans from their homeland and all countries that supported the Palestinian Arab stance on this issue.
It further noted that "the Palestinian people and their leadership will absolutely not agree to any policy that harms the unity of Palestinian land in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem," and that "any attempt to undermine fundamental Palestinian, Arab, and international principles is completely unacceptable and rejected."
Abbas’ office appealed to Trump to continue supporting the basis of the ceasefire agreement and its extension, the withdrawal of IDF forces from all areas of the Gaza Strip, the acceptance by the Palestinian Authority of responsibility for the Gaza Strip, and focusing on establishing an independent Palestinian state.
In this context, the statement noted that "the State of Palestine" is ready to take full responsibility for the Gaza Strip and to continue efforts to advance the realization of "just peace" according to the two-state solution based on international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
Trump on Saturday expressed his desire for countries like Jordan and Egypt to accept more Palestinian Arabs who have fled the fighting in Gaza, suggesting a potential mass relocation to essentially "clean out" the conflict-ridden area and start anew.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump revealed he had discussed this idea with King Abdullah II of Jordan and added that he planned to discuss it with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi as well.
“I’d like him to take people. I’d like Egypt to take people. You’re talking about, probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know it’s, over.’”
Reflecting on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Trump praised Jordan for their intake of Gazans so far, saying he told King Abdullah, “I’d love for you to take on more, cause I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess.”
The President added he considered the potential relocation of Palestinian Arabs as something that “could be temporary or long term,” noting the historical context of conflicts in the region over centuries.