US President Donald Trump's proposal to take control of the Gaza Strip as a means of resolving the Middle East conflict flagrantly violates both the basic principles of international law and moral norms, and is unlikely to gain Palestinian support. This perspective was presented in an article for TASS by Grigory Lukyanov, a research fellow at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
"Even Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has spent nearly a quarter-century working to freeze the peace process and marginalize the Palestinian issue on the global stage, has avoided making such overt statements. Trump's proposal blatantly disregards the fundamental principles of international law, universal moral standards, and the entire history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Lukyanov emphasized.
A Recycled Idea
Lukyanov highlighted that the essence of the plan—to remove Palestinians from disputed territories and thereby resolve the conflict by eliminating one of its sides—is neither novel nor original. "Neither then nor now has there been any voluntary agreement to such a solution from any faction of the Palestinian national movement," he stated. "Ordinary Palestinians in Gaza, East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and even those abroad—in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and other countries hosting refugee camps—have also rejected this idea."
According to the expert, Trump’s plan involves compelling Palestinians to relinquish their past—marked by sacrifices in the fight for freedom and independence—their present, which revolves around their blood-soaked but cherished homeland, and their future as a free and independent nation. Lukyanov also noted that Trump appears to shift the responsibility for this act of "ethnic cleansing" onto other Arab nations, effectively asking them to do what the Israeli military has failed to achieve in its battles with Hamas.
Lukyanov further explained that similar ideas have been floated in the past, but only by the most radical figures of Israel's far-right political spectrum. These individuals consistently justify and support the settler-colonialist movement, including illegal settlement construction that disregards international agreements and UN Security Council resolutions, as well as policies aimed at systematically de-modernizing Arab populations in Gaza and the West Bank.
Trump’s Proposal
On February 4, during a joint press conference with Netanyahu at the White House, Trump announced that the U.S. was considering long-term control over Gaza to foster peace in the Middle East. He proposed relocating Palestinians from the enclave to other regional countries, which he claimed "could pay for it." Trump also suggested that U.S. troops could be deployed to Gaza if deemed necessary.
The proposal was met with widespread condemnation from Arab nations, Iran, and several Western countries.
Global Reactions
Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that the Kremlin had taken note of Trump’s statements but emphasized Russia's awareness of the opposing positions held by Egypt and Jordan. France's Foreign Ministry also rejected the plan, while German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock deemed the forced removal of Palestinians from Gaza unacceptable.
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Based on TASS materials