German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier strongly criticized US President Donald Trump on Wednesday over his plan to “take over” Gaza and permanently resettle its Palestinian population in other countries.
“A solution that disregards or even violates international law is unacceptable,” Steinmeier said during his visit to Ankara. He expressed his doubt about the potential success of such talks between Trump administration and Arab states.
Following high-level meetings in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, Steinmeier emphasized widespread regional opposition to the proposed plan. Speaking to German media before meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Steinmeier said he encountered “only disappointment, many concerns, and in some cases real outrage” about Trump’s plan.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has expressed scepticism about US President Donald Trump's plans to resettle Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip in remarks during a visit to Jordan.https://t.co/aD1WQjaUMi
The German president stressed that any viable solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict must ensure both “security for Israel and self-determination for Palestinians.”
“This is a difficult and possibly longer path,” Steinmeier acknowledged. “But I fear arbitrary shortcuts from this path — especially those disregarding international law and its rules — will not lead to the goal.”
His remarks follow Trump’s declaration that the “US will take over the Gaza Strip” during a news conference Tuesday evening alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump said the Gazan population should be moved to countries like Jordan and Egypt, with the US turning the land into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
The proposal drew sharp condemnation from Palestine and was flatly rejected by numerous countries, including China, Russia, Türkiye, Spain, France, Saudi Arabia and Egypt according to Anadolu.
Breaking | The European Union states that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the future Palestinian state. This came after US President Trump stated on Tuesday that the United States would take over the Gaza Strip after expelling Palestinians to other countries.
Several European leaders, Wednesday, rejected US President Donald Trump’s controversial plan to “take over” Gaza and forcibly resettle its Palestinian population in other countries.
Germany
Dismissing the proposal, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that the only way forward for peace is a negotiated two-state solution.
“It is clear that Gaza—like the West Bank and East Jerusalem—belongs to the Palestinians,” Baerbock said, warning that forcibly expelling the civilian population would violate international law and fuel further hatred.
World leaders strongly condemned Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza and have the US take control of the territory. UK Foreign Minister David Lammy, German FM Annalena Baerbock, and Turkey’s FM Hakan Fidan rejected the plan as unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/g5SciZNogB
“The future of Gaza must be inscribed not in the perspective of control by a third State but in the framework of a future Palestinian State, under the aegis of the Palestinian Authority,” a French Foreign Ministry statement said.
“France reiterates its opposition to any forced displacement of the Palestinian population of Gaza, which would constitute a serious violation of international law, an attack on the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians, but also a major obstacle to the two-state solution,” it added.
Britain
Responding to a question on Trump’s Gaza remark, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Palestinians in Gaza “must be allowed home, they must be allowed to rebuild, and we should be with them in that rebuild on the way to a two-state solution”
🚨Global Opposition Grows Against Trump and netanyahu's Gaza Plan World powers are rejecting Donald Trump’s proposal to take control of Gaza and relocate Palestinians:
Spain also joined the chorus of disapproval, with Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares firmly rejecting the idea of US control over Gaza.
“Gaza is the land of the Palestinian Gazans. The Palestinian Gazans must stay in Gaza,” Albares said.
Spain reaffirmed its commitment to a future Palestinian state that includes Gaza as part of its territory.
Poland
Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna expressed support for a two-state solution and emphasized the need for Palestinian involvement in the peace process.
“Just like in the case of Ukraine, where we say that you can’t decide about Ukraine without Ukraine, if we’re talking about the peace process. Similarly, you can’t decide about Palestine without the Palestinians. This is Poland’s position,” Szejna said.
Slovenia
Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon criticized Trump’s comments as reflective of a “deep ignorance of Palestinian history.”
Speaking from Lebanon, Fajon warned that such proposals could lead to further unrest and violence and stressed that Palestinians completely reject the idea of being displaced from their homeland.
Scotland
Scottish First Minister John Swinney also condemned the proposal, calling any suggestion of displacing Palestinians “unacceptable and dangerous.”
Swinney emphasized that the suffering of the people in Gaza must not be exacerbated by plans for forced relocation, following months of intense violence and loss of life in the region.
Further reaction
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) condemned Trump’s remarks, describing them as “illegal” and part of a “grotesque plan” that would lead to the mass ethnic cleansing of 2.3 million Palestinians.
“This is a blueprint for a crime of historic proportions,” said the PSC, highlighting that the plan would violate the Geneva Convention’s prohibition on the forcible transfer of populations.
Spain’s foreign minister rebuked US President Donald Trump’s plan for the US to seize control of Gaza while sending the Palestinians there to other countries https://t.co/njyXppwgBppic.twitter.com/vkj3twKe8o
The Muslim Council of Britain has criticized Trump’s plan, urging international action for Gaza’s reconstruction that is led by the Palestinian people themselves.
Wajid Akhter, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, warned that any attempt to reconstruct Gaza through displacement would amount to ethnic cleansing.
“Reconstruction without displacement is not only possible – it is the only acceptable path forward,” he stated.
Amnesty Denmark
Amnesty Denmark echoed the widespread rejection, with spokesperson Vibe Klarup drawing a stark comparison between Trump’s plan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
” (What) Trump is advocating here is, first of all, a real invasion of another people’s country,” Klarup said, adding that any US takeover of Gaza would be criminal and a grave breach of international law.
During a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Tuesday, Trump said that the US “will take over” Gaza after relocating Palestinians elsewhere under a redevelopment plan that he claimed could turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East,” according to Anadolu.
Palestine’s envoy to the UK on Wednesday termed US President Donald Trump’s plan to “take over” Gaza “very dangerous,” and warned that it will go far beyond Palestine.
Palestinian people are tested with genocide, mass-kill, mass-murder, mass-destroy yet the people remain as hundreds of thousands are now marching back to their homes, said Husam Zomlot.
“So, no force on earth can remove Palestinians from their homes,” he told Sky News.
His remarks came after Trump’s controversial remarks that the US “will take over” Gaza after relocating Palestinians to other countries.
The Palestinian ambassador highlighted that the future is about a two-state solution, the international consensus, ending the occupation and establishing the state of Palestine.
“If people from Gaza will go anywhere later, it will be back to their original homes inside the 1948 areas,” said Zomlot, adding Palestinians have one homeland, Palestine.
Gaza is just the “last episode” of what Trump wants to take over, the ambassador said, referring to Trump’s previous statements on Canada, Panama, and Greenland.
“We are watching global order being burnt, I think our global order is being collapsed,” he added.
The Palestinian ambassador noted that with his Gaza remarks, Trump normalized the ethnic cleansing and the idea of mass expulsion of people from their homes, which, he stressed is “very dangerous and it will go far beyond Palestine.”
“This is not just about Gaza, can you imagine a world where you can just go and claim ownership of a territory … where does it stop?” he questioned.
Zomlot said that the UK needs to “correct the gravest injustice inflicted” on Palestinians according to Anadolu.
“We need recognition of the state of Palestine immediately, Mr. Starmer, do not wait one more day,” he added.
During a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Tuesday, Trump said that the US “will take over” Gaza after relocating Palestinians elsewhere under a redevelopment plan that he claimed could turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
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