Arab nations reject Trump’s Gaza relocation proposal

Powerful Arab nations on Saturday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to neighbouring Egypt and Jordan.

Trump proposed the idea last month, stating that he would urge the leaders of Jordan and Egypt to accommodate Gaza’s now largely displaced population.

He suggested that resettling the majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people could be either temporary or permanent.

Some Israeli officials had raised the possibility of relocation early on.

In a statement, Arab countries warned that such plans could "threaten the region’s stability, risk escalating the conflict, and undermine the prospects for peace and coexistence among its people."

The statement followed a meeting in Cairo of senior diplomats, including Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior Palestinian official who serves as the main liaison with Israel, and Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul-Gheit.

They expressed their commitment to working with the Trump administration to "achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, based on the two-state solution."

They also called on the international community to assist in "planning and implementing" a comprehensive reconstruction plan for Gaza, to ensure that Palestinians remain on their land.

Egypt and Jordan, alongside the Palestinians, are concerned that Israel would never allow them to return to Gaza once they have left.

They also fear the impact that such an influx of refugees could have on their already struggling economies, as well as the stability of their governments.