ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday said that the proposal to displace the people of Gaza was deeply troubling and unjust.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan, in a statement, said that the Palestinian land belonged to the Palestinian people and the only viable and just option was the two-state solution, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.
He said that Pakistan had been and would continue to stand by the people of Palestine in their just struggle for self-determination, as well as for the establishment of a sovereign, independent, and contiguous Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Ambassador Khan said any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land as well as to continue illegal settlements would be a blatant violation of international law, and undermine the peace and security of the entire region.
“Pakistan reiterates its call for the return of all displaced Palestinians to their homes, including in Gaza; complete withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the occupied territories, upscaling of the humanitarian assistance and end to all obstructions, as well as concerted international efforts for the early reconstruction of Gaza,” he said.
Speaking at a press conference along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Tuesday, Trump announced that the US would take over the Gaza Strip.
He also suggested that the 2.2 million Palestinians currently residing in the enclave should be permanently resettled in neighbouring countries such as Egypt and Jordan.
Trump stated that the US would not only take control of Gaza but also be responsible for its reconstruction. “The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too”, said the US president confidently.
He highlighted the need to dismantle unexploded bombs and other weapons in the area, framing the situation as a ‘demolition site’.
Meanwhile, Trump’s administration appeared to backtrack on Wednesday after his proposal to take over Gaza sparked uproar, with the United Nations warning against “ethnic cleansing” in the Palestinian territory.
Facing a wave of criticism from Palestinians, Arab governments and world leaders, Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any transfer of Gazans would be temporary, while the White House insisted there was no commitment to sending US troops.
Trump, however, insisted “everybody loves” the plan, which he announced to audible gasps during a White House press conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Offering few details on how the United States could remove more than two million Palestinians or control the war-battered territory, Trump declared Tuesday: “The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it.”
Rubio said the idea “was not meant as hostile”, describing it as a “generous move — the offer to rebuild and to be in charge of the rebuilding”.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later said Washington would not fund Gaza’s reconstruction after more than 15 months of war between US ally Israel and Palestinian group Hamas.
US involvement “does not mean boots on the ground” or that “American taxpayers will be funding this effort”, Leavitt said.
The United Nations warned against ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
“At its essence, the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people is about the right of Palestinians to simply live as human beings in their own land,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a speech to a UN committee that deals with the rights of Palestinians.
Guterres’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric, previewing the UN chief’s speech, told reporters: “Any forced displacement of people is tantamount to ethnic cleansing.”
Presidents Emmanuel Macron of France and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt said any forced displacement of the Palestinians would be unacceptable.
“It would be a serious violation of international law, an obstacle to the two-state solution and a major destabilising force for Egypt and Jordan,” the two leaders said, according to a statement from the French president’s office.
Leavitt said Trump wanted Palestinians to be only “temporarily relocated” out of Gaza.
“It’s a demolition site right now. It’s not a liveable place for any human being,” she said.
Palestinian officials, Arab leaders and rights groups swiftly condemned Trump’s remarks.
Hamas, which took control of Gaza in 2007, rejected the proposal, branding it “racist”, “aggressive” and inflammatory.
Israel’s military offensive in response to Hamas’s October 2023 attack has left much of Gaza reduced to rubble, including schools, hospitals and most civil infrastructure.
Rights group Human Rights Watch said the destruction of Gaza “reflects a calculated Israeli policy to make parts of the strip unlivable.”
Trump’s proposed plan “would move the US from being complicit in war crimes to direct perpetration of atrocities,” said Lama Fakih, an HRW regional director.
Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for sealing a ceasefire agreement that took effect last month.