Iran rejects ‘shocking’ Trump plan to ‘forcibly displace’ Palestinians
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has rejected the “shocking” plan laid out by President Trump to assume control of Gaza and “forcibly displace” Palestinians, according to comments carried by Iran’s state-owned Press TV.
“The plan to clear Gaza and forcibly displace the Palestinian people to neighbouring countries is considered a continuation of the Zionist regime’s targeted plan to completely annihilate the Palestinian nation, and is categorically rejected and condemned,” spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.
“The recent claim by the US to seize Gaza represents an unprecedented assault on the core principles of international law and the UN Charter,” he added.
Jordanian officials fear ‘existential threat’ from Trump’s Gaza plan
US President Donald Trump’s plan to resettle Palestinians from Gaza in Jordan will spread chaos through the Middle East, jeopardise the kingdom’s peace with Israel and even threaten the country’s survival.
These are the stark warnings Jordan’s King Abdullah plans to deliver to Trump when he meets the US president in Washington on February 11 as part of a diplomatic offensive against any relocation, according to senior Jordanian officials.
One senior official told the Reuters news agency there had been a flurry of phone calls by King Abdullah to muster support from regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.
“This is the biggest test in ties with our strategic ally,” the Jordanian official said.
Contingency plans drawn up by the army and security establishment range from declaring a state of war with Israel, to abrogating the peace treaty to declaring a state of emergency, officials told Reuters.
“We hope we won’t see thousands of Palestinians streaming across the border trying to enter the kingdom but we are prepared,” one of the Jordanian officials said.
Marwan Muasher, a former Jordanian foreign minister who helped negotiate Jordan’s 1994 peace treaty with Israel, told Reuters that it was an “existential” issue for Jordan.
“There is very strong public opposition, and it’s not something Jordan can entertain. This is not an economic or a security issue for Jordan, it’s an identity issue,” he said.
Loving Palestinian land is in ‘our DNA’: Palestine’s UN envoy
Riyad Mansour, who leads Palestine’s delegation at the UN, reacts to Trump’s plan to forcefully expel people from Gaza, saying “Some people might not understand the meaning and value of having a country and loving the land of your country”.
“For us, the Palestinian people, it is our DNA. We love our country,” he added.
“We love the land of our country – whether we have palaces on it or destroyed buildings. We are resilient people. The Gaza Strip was destroyed many times, and we were able to rebuild it with the help of all of our friends.”
Palestinians will continue to fight for their rights, Hamas spokesperson says
Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan says Palestinians are determined to secure their rights and will not give up that decades-long quest.
“If it was delivered by the international community to them, that will be good. If not, they will resist,” he told Al Jazeera.
“After 15 months of Israeli aggression, it is clear that you cannot defeat the Palestinian people. This nation has been struggling for its legitimate rights for over 75 years, and we will not give up.”
