UAE and seven countries condemn Israeli ministers’ calls to displace Palestinians from Gaza

The foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye and Egypt have jointly condemned Israeli proposals to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

The statement specifically criticized comments by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Defence Minister Israel Katz. The ministers said plans or mechanisms for forcibly removing Palestinians from their land flagrantly violate international law, including international humanitarian law, and directly threaten Palestinians’ legitimate and inalienable rights.

They rejected any attempt to displace Palestinians, whether within or outside the Occupied Palestinian Territory, regardless of the justification. They warned that turning calls for forced displacement into declared policy or concrete measures would uproot Palestinians and undermine international efforts to achieve peace, including U.S. President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict.

The ministers stressed that Gaza forms an integral part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. They called for the territory to remain unified with the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and said a just and lasting peace requires a two-state solution based on the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.

They also urged the international community, particularly the U.N. Security Council, to confront attempts to impose a new demographic or geographic reality in the occupied territory. The ministers reaffirmed support for Palestinians remaining on their land and rejected efforts to erase the Palestinian cause or undermine their rights.