Europe Says No to Trump’s Plan to Take Over Gaza, Transfer its People

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.

She stressed that the UN, EU, and G7 have consistently opposed Israeli settlements on Palestinian territories.

France

France also swiftly rejected Trump’s proposal, reaffirming that Gaza should remain part of a future Palestinian state.


“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”


Spain

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.

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.

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Hamas Calls Trump ‘Displacement Statement’ as ‘Absurd, Meaningless’

The Palestinian Hamas, Saturday, slammed the repeated US statements on displacing Palestinians from Gaza as “absurd and meaningless.”

In a statement, Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas leader, said the “plans to displace Palestinians from Gaza are absurd and meaningless,” stressing: “What the Israeli occupation failed to achieve by force, will not be accomplished through political maneuvers.”

“The repeated US announcements on displacing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip under the pretext of its reconstruction reflect a persistent complicity in the crime,” Abu Zuhri said according to Anadolu.

The Hamas leader considered the US administration’s insistence on the displacement plans for Gaza’s Palestinians as “a recipe for further chaos and tension in the region.”

On Friday, US President Donald Trump said he is “confident” Egypt and Jordan would take Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, stressing and affirming previous statements on the issue.

“I heard somebody said they’re not going to, but I think they will. I feel confident they will,” Trump said from the Oval Office.

Trump doubled down Thursday on his controversial proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, insisting that Egypt and Jordan would comply, despite their repeated rejections.

“They will do it. They will do it. They’re going to do it, okay? We do a lot for them, and they’re going to do it,” Trump told reporters when asked if he would consider measures to pressure Cairo and Amman to accept his plan.

Trump suggested over the weekend to “clean out” Gaza and resettle Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan, describing the enclave as a “demolition site” after Israel’s genocidal war.

The two countries, however, vehemently rejected any call for the displacement or relocation of Palestinians from their land.

Trump’s proposal came after a ceasefire agreement took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, suspending the Israeli war, that has killed more than 47,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s health authorities. 

Trump’s proposal has received widespread condemnation, with critics calling it “ethnic cleansing” and a “war crime.” Many countries in the Muslim and Arab world as well as European nations such as France have firmly rejected the idea.

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Israeli Minister Forced to Cancel Brussels Trip Over ICC Ruling

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli canceled a planned visit to Brussels over fears of arrest, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. The office cited “concrete warnings” and guidance from security officials but did not provide specific details. Chikli was scheduled to attend an event at the European Parliament and meet with Brussels’ zionist lobby.

Belgian authorities reportedly informed Israel that Chikli would not enjoy diplomatic immunity, as his visit was not an official state trip. Security sources told Israeli media that the National Security Headquarters warned of attempts to arrest Chikli, though no direct threat was identified.

The incident follows the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November. The ICC warrant cited  crimes against humanity and war crimes committed between October 8, 2023, and May 20, 2024. Several countries, including France and Hungary, have stated they would not enforce the warrants, while others, like Germany and Norway, indicated they would comply.

Although several western countries announced that they would not comply with the ICC warrant, dozens of rights groups and activists have been filing lawsuits against Israeli officials and soldiers, resulting in many if them canceling their trips according to the Quds News Network.

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Nobel: The Merchant of Death


By Saleem Ayoub Quna


One must really feel sad to discover that, he or she, has been used or manipulated for a long time by others who pretend otherwise! It will be much worse if one does not do something about it, afterwards.
This is I discovered when I accidentally learned more about the most prestigious international prize called the “Nobel Prize” in its five major categories: Physical science, chemistry, medical science, literature and peace.


This prize is well known worldwide for two main reasons. But we tend to focus on one and disregard the other. The first reason is the prize founder’s name, “Alfred Nobel”, became associated with the most important award man can aspire in modern times, in terms of money and prestige. It is the most prestigious and sought after award in the world!


The other less known reason, but nevertheless no less important, is that its holder’s name is the only one which is, exclusively, linked to the invention of “dynamite” in the late 19th century! That invention was a turning point not only in this man’s life or his country, but in the course of world history. Dynamite was first used to dig out tunnels, build dams, railways, open canals between oceans and so forth. Automatically, that helped, already advanced industrial nations in Europe, to develop and strengthen their economies and improve scientific achievements at home and abroad.


The invention of dynamite which is a kind of ammunition, gradually proved to be most profitable and rewarding enterprise for those involved in it. The appetite to use them became phenomenal to the extent that the number of humans killed, just after the historical invention, drastically surpassed all those who were killed, anteriorly, by other more conventional weapons or natural disasters. The whole issue later became an integral part of manufacturing military hardware which kept developing and expanding until the world reached the era of “weapons of mass destruction” that is causing all the pain and trouble facing people everywhere on this planet since then.


While this multi-faceted tragedy and drama is going on, many people around the world, especially among the cream of the cream strata of scientists, intellectuals, inventors and leaders, and they are in the thousands, working independently or for famed institutions, are counting the days and hours, to see their names, at least, nominated for one the five categories prize, without the slightest effort on their part to know the original story behind all of this big historical farce.


A second turning point in the life of Alfred Nobel took place in 1888. That year a brother of his with the name of Ludwig who was visiting the city of Cannes, south of France, passed away. Alfred had five brothers. A local French newspaper, taking Ludwig for Alfred, picked the news and ran a report on its front page with a dramatic title: “The merchant of death died”!

When Alfred read the paper he was upset. He started contemplating ways to redress this personal dilemma and re-polish his tarnished reputation. It was not until 1895, i.e. seven years after he was described as merchant of death, and just one year before he died, that he decided to include in his will a paragraph that detailed the criteria and conditions of specified financial rewards under a special fund called the “Nobel Prize”, to be granted to all candidates, regardless of their nationality, religion, color or ethnical background. In that year, Alfred’s business empire included 90 operating factories of dynamite and ammunition scattered around the world!

However, the first award distributing ceremony did not take place until 1901 in Stockholm on the 5th anniversary of his death.

Among the hundreds of nominees for the different categories of the award and since its inauguration in 1901, the Nobel Prize was declined by two candidates only: A Vietnamese politician and negotiator named LE DUC THO who was nominated along with no other than Henry Kissinger, to share the Nobel Peace Prize, saying that he did not deserve it because peace was not achieved in Vietnam yet at that time in the year 1973.


The second candidate who declined the prize for literature was the French philosopher and writer Jean-Paul Sartre, saying that he always declined official honors.


Conclusion: Trying to be nominated for the Nobel Prize especially for “Peace”, let alone accepting it is not so different from believing in fake prophets or opportunist politicians whose actions and deeds categorically contradict their preaching and teaching. I have no illusion that any of those who genuinely work for peace on this earth, but “circumstantially” get nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, will one day, refuse to be trapped in this silk web!

This opinion was especially written for Crossfire Arabia by Saleem Ayoub Quna who is a Jordanian author writing on local, regional and international affairs and has two books published. He has a BA in English Literature from Jordan University, a diploma from Paris and an MA from Johns Hopkins University in Washington. He also has working knowledge of French and German.

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French MP Condemns…

French MP Thomas Portes has stated that the Israeli occupation is continuing its genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, adding that on Saturday “more than 30 people were murdered in Gaza” due to Israeli attacks.

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