UPDATE 2 – Jordan, Egypt reject resettlement of Palestinians after Trump’s call to ‘clean out’ Gaza

UPDATES WITH DETAILS, CHANGES HEADLINE

By Laith Al-Jnaidi

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) – Jordan and Egypt reiterated their rejection of the resettlement of Palestinians on Sunday, after US President Donald Trump’s call to “clean out” the Gaza Strip.

"Our principles are clear, and Jordan’s steadfast position to uphold the Palestinians' presence on their land remains unchanged and will never change," Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told a joint press conference in Amman with Sigrid Kaag, UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza.

Jordan's rejection of resettlement “is steadfast and essential for achieving the stability and peace we all seek,” he said.

"The solution to the Palestinian issue lies in Palestine; Jordan is for Jordanians, and Palestine is for Palestinians,” Safadi added.
The top diplomat said that Jordan “looks forward to working with the US administration to achieve peace in the region."

Egypt also rejected Trump’s call to resettle Palestinians outside their territories.

Egypt “cannot be part of any solution involving the transfer of Palestinians into Sinai,” the Egyptian Embassy in Washington said, citing an opinion piece published by Ambassador Motaz Zahran in US magazine The Hill in October 2023.

Describing Gaza as a "demolition site," Trump on Saturday said “we (should) just clean out” the Palestinian enclave and resettle Palestinians in Jordan and Egypt.

“I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

“You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over,’” he added.

His 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 47,000 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 (ICC) 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