Arab FMs reject Trump’s call for Palestinians transfer “under any circumstances or justifications”
CAIRO— Arab foreign ministers on Saturday rejected the transfer of Palestinians from their land under any circumstances, presenting a unified stance against U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for Egypt and Jordan to take in residents of the Gaza Strip.
In a joint statement following a meeting in Cairo, the foreign ministers and the Arab League said such a move would threaten stability in the region, spread conflict, and undermine prospects for peace.
“We affirm our rejection of [any attempts] to compromise Palestinians’ unalienable rights, whether through settlement activities, or evictions or annex of land or through vacating the land from its owners…in any form or under any circumstances or justifications,” the joint statement read.
Moreover, they expressed willingness to work with Trump’s administration to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East based on a two-state solution, the statement added.
The ministers reiterated their support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), rejecting any efforts to bypass or diminish its role in providing humanitarian aid and services to Palestinian refugees.
The meeting underscored the importance of sustaining the Gaza ceasefire agreement and ensuring the safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. In this regard, the ministers called for the removal of all obstacles preventing the entry of humanitarian, shelter, and reconstruction materials to address the severe humanitarian crisis caused by the “Israeli” aggression.
In parallel, the meeting stressed the urgent need for an international reconstruction plan for Gaza, ensuring that Palestinians remain on their land, alongside global efforts to rebuild infrastructure and improve living conditions in the enclave.
The Arab ministers reiterated their rejection of any form of forced displacement, transfer, or expulsion of Palestinians from their land, condemning the expansion of “Israeli” settlements, house demolitions, and land annexations.
The participants welcomed Egypt’s plan to host an international conference, in coordination with the United Nations, to support Gaza’s reconstruction, calling on the international community and donor nations to contribute to this initiative. No date has been set for the conference yet.
Saturday’s meeting comes after Trump said last week that Egypt and Jordan should take in Palestinians from Gaza, which he called a “demolition site,” following 15 months of “Israeli” bombardment that rendered most of its 2.3 million people homeless.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday rejected the idea that Egypt would facilitate the displacement of Gazans and said Egyptians would take to the streets to express their disapproval.
On Thursday, however, Trump reiterated the idea, saying, “They are going to do it.”
Critics have called the U.S. president’s suggestion tantamount to ethnic cleansing, especially given that Palestinians have long been haunted by the “Nakba,” or catastrophe, when Zionist forces expelled 750,000 of them and captured 78% of the indigenous land in 1948.
