Muslim states condemn Israel’s Gaza resettlement plan, putting Trump’s peace plan at risk

Eight Muslim and Arab countries have jointly condemned what they describe as Israeli plans to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Indonesia and Turkey said they rejected "in the strongest terms" Israel's proposed plans and mechanisms for forcibly expelling Palestinians from their land.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that Israel had plans to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, although the United States still needed to determine where residents could be moved. A day later, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the plan would relocate 250,000 Palestinians during its first year, with the remaining roughly two million residents following over the next six years.

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in the strongest terms

Germany's Development Minister Reem Alabali-Radovan also rejected the proposal. She called it "unacceptable and inhumane" and said that talking about moving people against their will meant talking about expulsion. She said the plan violated international law.

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unacceptable and inhumane

The eight foreign ministers warned of "serious consequences" if calls for forced displacement became official policy or practical measures. Such steps, they said, would directly challenge international efforts to secure peace, particularly Trump's Gaza peace plan. That proposal calls for Hamas to surrender its weapons gradually while Israeli forces withdraw from the Palestinian territory. An international stabilization force and a new Palestinian police force would then assume responsibility in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects the plan. Before any Israeli withdrawal, he demands not only the disarmament of Hamas and its allies but the destruction of all weapons in Gaza. The article places these disputes against the continuing consequences of the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed more than 1,200 people and saw 251 people taken hostage. Israel responded with extensive attacks on Gaza. Hamas figures, which the article says cannot be independently verified, put the resulting death toll above 70,000. The army has continued to strike targets despite a ceasefire agreed in October.

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serious consequences