Several powerful Arab nations have firmly rejected a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring Egypt and Jordan, calling it a threat to regional stability.
In a joint statement issued, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority, and the Arab League dismissed any plans to remove Palestinians from Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The statement emphasized that such a move would “risk expanding the conflict and undermine prospects for peace and coexistence in the region.”
Trump, it would be recalled to have floated the idea last month, suggesting that Jordan and Egypt take in displaced Palestinians so that “we just clean out that whole thing.” He proposed that the relocation could be either temporary or long-term. Some Israeli officials had previously raised similar ideas in the early stages of the war.
The Arab nations’ statement came after a high-level meeting in Cairo attended by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, as well as senior Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh and Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi firmly rejected Trump’s suggestion in a press conference last week, stating, “The transfer of Palestinians cannot ever be tolerated or allowed. The solution to this issue is the two-state solution.” Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi echoed this stance, calling his country’s opposition to the idea “firm and unwavering.”
Egypt and Jordan fear that if Palestinians are forced to leave Gaza, Israel will not allow them to return.
More to that, both nations are concerned about the economic and security impact of absorbing large numbers of refugees.
Jordan, at the time of filing this report, already hosts more than 2 million Palestinians, while Egypt has warned of the security risks of a mass influx into its Sinai Peninsula, which borders Gaza.
The Arab leaders reaffirmed their support for a two-state solution and called on the international community to assist in rebuilding Gaza to ensure Palestinians can remain on their land.
They also underscored the importance of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in providing humanitarian aid, condemning efforts to diminish its role.