CrossFireArabia
Actor Richard Gere Just called President Donald Trump a “bully” and a “thug” in Spain. “We’re in a very dark place in America, where we have a bully, a thug, who’s the president of the United States,” Gere was quoted as saying
CrossFireArabia
Nearly half of Americans rejected US President Donald Trump’s proposal to “take over” the Gaza Strip and relocate Palestinians to neighboring countries, calling it a “bad idea,” as did several major Arab, European, and other countries around the world.
According to a CBS News/YouGov poll conducted between Feb. 5 and 7, in which 2,175 US adults were polled and released on Sunday, 47% of Americans believe the US proposal to “take over” Gaza is a “bad idea,” with only 13% supporting it and 40% unsure or saying “it depends.”
The poll also found that 34% of respondents had little or no knowledge of the proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, which has been nearly completely destroyed by brutal Israeli forces since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 48,200 people, the majority of whom are women and children.
On Feb. 4, Trump said Washington would “take over” Gaza and resettle Palestinians elsewhere under an extraordinary redevelopment plan that he claimed could turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
His proposal was met with wide condemnations from the Palestinians, Arab countries, and many other nations across the world, including Canada, France, Germany, and the UK.
During the survey, 46% disapproved of Trump’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict, while the rest approved, “driven largely by Republican support.”
Regarding Trump’s goal in proposing the Gaza plan, 22% believe it is to have the US take over Gaza, 28% believe it is to begin negotiations with Middle Eastern countries, and 29% believe it is both.
The poll also found that Trump has a 53% approval rating, with 70% saying he is keeping campaign promises.
CrossFireArabia
Arab countries strongly condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements suggesting the establishment of a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia.
In an official statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its “categorical rejection” of such rhetoric, emphasizing that “the Palestinian people have a right to their land, and they are not intruders or immigrants to it who can be expelled whenever the brutal Israeli occupation wishes.”
The statement said, “This extremist, occupying mentality does not understand what the Palestinian land means to the brotherly people of Palestine,” asserting that Israel “does not think that the Palestinian people deserve to live in the first place.”
The Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Netanyahu’s statements are “a flagrant violation of international law and a blatant infringement of the United Nations Charter.”
The ministry affirmed Qatar’s full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and reiterated its “categorical rejection of calls for the forced displacement of the brotherly Palestinian people.”
In a statement, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Sufian al-Qudah said, “The Israeli government continues its provocative policies and statements that undermine the sovereignty of nations and the principles of international law.”
He stressed Jordan’s “absolute rejection of these provocative statements, which reflect an exclusionary and inciting ideology hostile to peace and contribute to further escalation in the region.”
The Foreign Ministry in Muscat, in a statement, reaffirmed “Oman’s firm stance in support of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on its full sovereign territory in Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders.”
The Bahraini Foreign Ministry, in a statement, expressed the kingdom’s “strong condemnation and denunciation of the irresponsible Israeli statements regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state on Saudi territory,” considering them a “blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter.”
The ministry reaffirmed “Bahrain’s full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its unwavering support for its security, stability, and sovereignty.”
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing its “firm rejection of these remarks, which constitute a blatant violation of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and an attack on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, in addition to contradicting international law and the UN Charter.”
The ministry emphasized “Iraq’s full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its unwavering stance in supporting the security, stability, and sovereignty of nations.”
The Yemeni government, in a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, condemned Israel’s arrogant and provocative remarks against Saudi Arabia, describing them as “a dangerous escalation that threatens the stability of the entire region.”
The ministry warned that “Israel’s arrogant statements not only target Saudi Arabia but also represent a serious escalation that endangers regional stability as a whole.”
The Mauritanian Foreign Ministry, in a statement, described the Israeli prime minister’s remarks as “irresponsible,” adding that they “constitute an unacceptable violation of international norms and laws and a provocation that threatens the security and stability of the region.”
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit firmly denounced “in the strongest terms” the Israeli prime minister’s remarks about relocating Palestinians to Saudi Arabia. He emphasized that “the logic behind these statements is completely unacceptable and reflects a total disconnect from reality.”
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jassem Al-Budaiwi stated that “these dangerous and irresponsible statements confirm the approach of the Israeli occupation forces in their lack of respect for international laws and treaties, as well as the sovereignty of nations.”
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas strongly described Netanyahu’s remarks as “hostile toward Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian people, reflecting an arrogant approach and a colonial mindset that disregards the historical rights of the rightful owners of the land.”
On Thursday, Netanyahu suggested that Palestinians should establish their state in Saudi Arabia rather than in their own homeland, dismissing any notion of Palestinian sovereignty.
“The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there,” he said.
Earlier, on Feb. 4, US President Donald Trump said Washington would “take over” Gaza and resettle Palestinians elsewhere under an extraordinary redevelopment plan that he claimed could turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
His proposal was met with wide condemnations from the Palestinians, Arab countries, and many other nations across the world, including Canada, France, Germany, and the UK as reported in Anadolu.
Dr Khairi Janbek
By Dr Khairi Janbek
Evidently US President Donald Trump has raised the stakes very high in his proposed plan to solve the intractable Middle Eastern problem: The Palestinian issue and consequently reaching a wider normalization between the Arab states and Israel.
Of course not only the Arab world but also the rest of the world is learning how to cope with a new American presidency, more accustomed to making deals than in reaching agreements. Consequently the method used concerning the Arab states is that of threats to their national security and integrity with the existential being to their Palestinian brethren.
In scenes reminiscent of a play from the theatre of the absurd, we saw Mr Benjamin Netanyahu’s face light up like a child each time Mr Trump opened his mouth promising him presents which he always sought, although in this case those presents are not the property of Mr Trump and are not his to either have or give away.
Now, one has no wish to go to the distant American history, because the last time American manifest destiny was mentioned, native Americans paid the price with a big genocide and other nations were reduced to mere colonial status by the USA.
However, Trump never mentioned the term explicitly, but whether he realises it or not, the ethnic cleansing he is proposing to solve the problem of the Palestinians to the advantage of Israel is no different to the ethnic cleansing of native Americans. The times are different but the idea is the same.
On the other hand, the acid test for the Palestinian question is in how the world is going to react to these Trump advocated policies. One doesn’t think Russia with its war in Ukraine, at least for the near future, will have much say regarding the Palestinian issue or any other to that effect, while the Chinese, the question of trade war is far more important to them as a system, which puts trade and commerce above politics.
And the EU with the apparent cracks in its unity, it is still unclear what it will do; of course besides amiable legalistic positive rhetoric, will it continue to be the financier of the new American foreign policy, or become the backdoor for US handouts to nations which the United States has claimed will not support?
Ultimately, with the US and Israeli threats of forcible transfer of the Palestinians, it is the Arab states that are in the front line, the close allies of the USA and some of whom peace signatories with Israel.
Of course in the next day or two, the King of Jordan will meet President Trump in Washington, and it is rumored president Sisi will join them, also towards the end of the month, an emergency Arab summit will likely be held in Cairo.
One cannot predict the outcome, but judging from old references, everyone will try to escape responsibility with the Palestinian people keep paying the price.
Dr Khairi Janbek is a Jordanian commentator based in Paris
CrossFireArabia
The Saudi Foreign Ministry announced, Sunday, its rejection of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements about establishing a Palestinian state on the Kingdom’s lands. It stated that these comments are “aimed to divert attention from the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinians in Gaza, including the ethnic cleansing they are subjected to.”
The ministry stressed, in a statement, that “the Palestinian people have a right to their land, and are not intruders or immigrants who can be expelled whenever the brutal Israeli occupation wants.”
In response to Netanyahu, it added: “This extremist occupation mentality does not understand what the Palestinian land means to the brotherly Palestinian people and their emotional, historical and legal connection to it, and does not consider that the Palestinian people deserve life in the first place.”
It continued that “this extremist occupation mentality completely destroyed Gaza and killed and injured 160,000 Palestinians, most of whom were children and women, without the slightest human feeling or moral responsibility.”
With American support, Israel committed genocide in Gaza between 7 October, 2023 and January 19, 2025, leaving more than 159,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 14,000 missing.
The Saudi ministry pointed out that “the owners of these extremist ideas are the ones who prevented Israel from accepting peace, by rejecting peaceful coexistence, rejecting peace initiatives adopted by Arab countries, and practicing systematic injustice against the Palestinian people for more than 75 years.”
It stressed that “the extremist occupation mentality does not care about right, justice, law, and the values established in the United Nations Charter, including the right of a person to live in dignity on his land.”
The Kingdom also appreciated “what sister countries announced in terms of condemnation, disapproval, and complete rejection of what Netanyahu stated regarding the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land,” according to the same statement.
It explained that “these positions, which reject the establishment of a Palestinian state on the lands of the Kingdom, confirm the centrality of the Palestinian cause to Arab and Islamic countries.”
The Saudi Foreign Ministry concluded by saying that “the right of the brotherly Palestinian people will remain steadfast, and no one will be able to take it away from them no matter how long it takes, and lasting peace will not be achieved except by returning to the logic of reason and accepting the principle of peaceful coexistence through the two-state solution.”
In response to its firm position adhering to the establishment of a Palestinian state, Netanyahu said on Friday that “Saudi Arabia has vast areas and can establish a Palestinian state on them,” in response to a question from the Hebrew Channel 14 broadcaster regarding Riyadh’s insistence on establishing a Palestinian state as a condition to normalize relations with Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu claimed that “Riyadh does not stipulate the establishment of a Palestinian state for normalization with Israel.”
On more than one occasion, Saudi Arabia has stipulated the Israeli government’s approval of the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders in exchange for normalizing relations.
Netanyahu’s statements come days after US President Donald Trump spoke about his country’s intention to seize the Gaza Strip and displace the Palestinians from it, and that Saudi Arabia no longer stipulates the establishment of a Palestinian state for normalization with Israel, which sparked widespread regional and international rejection.
Since 25 January, Trump has been promoting a plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries such as Egypt and Jordan, which was rejected by both countries, and was joined by other Arab countries and regional and international organizations as reported by Anadolu news.
