UK government opposes ‘any effort’ to displace Palestinians from Gaza

BIRMINGHAM, England (AA) — Britain will oppose any efforts to move Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip to neighboring Arab countries, the UK government says.

“There must be no forced displacement of Palestinians, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip,” the UK’s Minister for Development at the Foreign Office, Anneliese Dodds, said, addressing the House of Commons.

She told the parliament that Palestinians must determine the future of Gaza.

“The UK is clear that we must see a negotiated two-state solution, with a sovereign Palestinian state, which includes the West Bank and Gaza, alongside a safe and secure Israel, with Jerusalem as the shared capital.”

Dodds said the UK government’s priority remains ensuring the “fragile ceasefire continues, that all the hostages are released, that much-needed aid gets into Gaza, and that we can indeed rebuild that pathway to sustainable peace.”

“Palestinians must determine the future of Gaza with support from regional states and the wider international community. We would oppose any effort to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighboring Arab states against their will. There must be no forced displacement of Palestinians, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip.”

At a press conference in Washington with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said the US will “take over” Gaza after relocating over 2 million Palestinians elsewhere under an extraordinary redevelopment plan that he claimed could turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”

Trump had first triggered uproar last week by suggesting that Palestinians in Gaza should be relocated to Jordan and Egypt, calling the enclave a “demolition site” after Israel’s 15-month war that has claimed more than 47,000 lives. A ceasefire that took hold on January 19 is currently in place.

His proposal, however, was vehemently rejected on the global stage.