Palestine rejects plans for ‘alternative homeland’ after Trump’s call to ‘clean out’ Gaza

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Palestinian presidency on Monday rejected plans aimed at creating an “alternative homeland” for Palestinians.

"Projects of resettlement and alternative homelands are unacceptable and only serve to reinforce instability and chaos in the region,” presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement.

“The alternative (option) is to achieve just peace based on international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative,” he added.

Abu Rudeineh said that the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza “reflects Palestinian steadfastness on their land.”

“No one can force the Palestinians out of their homeland," he said, calling on the US administration “to support solutions that lead to lasting peace and stability for the region and the world.”

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump called to “just clean out” Gaza and resettle Palestinians to Jordan and Egypt, describing the enclave as a “demolition site” after Israel’s genocidal war.

Jordan and Egypt issued statements vehemently rejecting any call for the displacement or relocation of Palestinians from their land.

The Cairo-based Arab League also said that attempts to uproot the Palestinian people from their land, whether through resettlement, annexation, or settlement expansion, “have proven to fail in the past.”

Trump's proposal came a week after a ceasefire agreement took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed more than 47,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured more than 111,000 since Oct. 7, 2023.

The Israeli onslaught has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala