Trump and Netanyahu seal alliance in Washington while the US President proposes his country to “take control” of Gaza and expel the Palestinians from the enclave. Photo: Reproduction/ Twitter White House

United States President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his government intends to “take control” of the Gaza Strip, promoting a “economic development project” to transform territory into what he described as “Riviera from the Middle East ”. The proposal ignores the solution of two states, breaking with decades of international diplomacy and eliminating any perspective of Palestinian sovereignty.

The statement, given in the White House, alongside Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, generated immediate reaction from Arab countries and international organizations, which reported the announcement as an attempt to erase Palestinian identity. The UN Secretary-General warned that the proposal is equivalent to “ethnic cleaning”, while human rights entities have classified the plan as “insane”, “racist” and “criminal”.

Trump also suggested that Palestinians “have no alternative” but to leave Gaza, discarding the creation of a Palestinian state and making room for a forced displacement of the population.

“It has been a symbol of death and destruction for decades, so bad for the population living there. Lots of luck in that place. There should be no reconstruction process by the same people who are there. Instead, they should go to other countries with interest in humanitarian issues, ”said Trump.

Netanyahu reacted with discomfort with the proposal to re -enter Gaza as a “Middle East Riviera” but avoided counteracting Trump publicly, reinforcing the alliance between Israel and the US. The Israeli Premier knows that US support is essential to its political survival.

The extreme right coalition that supports your government does not hide that you want the total expulsion of Gaza Palestinians. “The idea of ​​helping them find other places to start a better life is excellent. After years of glorification of terrorism, they will be able to establish new and good lives elsewhere, ”said Bezalel Smotrich, finance minister and leader of the religious Zionism party.

Trump, in turn, reinforced his proposal. “Gaza is a hole today, and that needs to change,” said the US president.

“If we could find the right place, or the right places, and build some really pleasant places with a lot of money, it would surely be better. I think this would be much better than coming back to Gaza. ”

The meeting takes place while Netanyahu is the target of an arrest warrant of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes in Gaza. However, in Washington he has nothing to fear, as the US does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC and are not part of the Rome status.

While statements reverberated in global diplomacy, thousands of protesters gathered before the White House, protesting Netanyahu’s reception and denouncing what they classify as an incentive to Palestine’s “ethnic cleaning”.

Arab countries and global allies condemn American proposal

The rejection of Trump’s plan was almost immediate. Saudi Arabia has reiterated that it will not accept any normalization with Israel without a Palestinian state, dismantling the Republican’s narrative that would have the support of the Saudi monarchy for his strategy in the Middle East. The Riyadh Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the proposal would violate the legitimate rights of the Palestinians and reiterated their “unambiguous rejection” to any attempt at forced displacement.

Egypt and Jordan, targets of American pressure to absorb the displaced Palestinians, refused to serve as a destination for the forced diaspora and warned of the humanitarian consequences of the proposal. “Palestinian leadership states its firm position that the solution of two states, according to international legitimacy and international law, is the guarantee of security, stability and peace,” said Hussein Al-Sheikh, Secretary-General of OLP.

China has warned that it will oppose the “forced transfer” of the Gaza Strip Palestinians. “China has always argued that the Palestinian government about Palestinians is the basic principle of postwar Gaza governance, and we oppose forced transfer from Gaza residents,” said Lin Jian, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs China.

Hamas denounced the proposal as “racist and absurd”, warning that a forced resettlement plan “would fire the region”. Palestine Ambassador to UN, Riyad Mansour, insisted that Gaza is “Our Land” and that the Palestinians will not accept to be expelled. Already the Arab-American Institute stated that Trump received a “war criminal” in the White House for a “casual discussion about genocide and ethnic cleaning.”

Netanyahu intensifies attacks on the West Bank amid the trip to Washington

If Trump wants to project the image of a global leader capable of resolving international conflicts – as he repeated numerous times in campaign by claiming that “the Ukraine war would never have happened” if he was in the White House – Netanyahu’s behavior exposes the limit of this rhetoric.

While the prime minister was attended by meetings in Washington, Israel’s defense forces (FDI) conducted a large -scale offensive in the West Bank, destroying 23 buildings and expelling 15,000 Palestinians in the city of Jenin. The operation occurs only days after the start of the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, revealing that, although the War in the Enclave and the Lebanon is temporarily contained, the Israeli military advance is still active in other occupied territories.

The official justification of the Israeli government is the elimination of Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, but attacks on civil infrastructure have raised new criticism. In the occupied eastern Jerusalem, settlers invaded a cemetery and set fire to a mosque, deepening violence and tension in the region. While Netanyahu sought to strengthen ties with Washington, on the other, his government gave clear signs that the truce in Gaza did not mean a brake on the policy of repression against Palestinians.

Trump hardens posture against Iran and reinforces alliance with Netanyahu

In the midst of the diplomatic crisis, Trump announced the resumption of “maximum pressure” policy against Iran, re -imposing sanctions and threatening more aggressive measures against Tehran. The measure reinforces the alignment between US and Israel, while the Iranian government warned of the “disastrous consequences” of a climb in the Middle East.

For Netanyahu, rhetoric against Iran serves as a convenient distraction. With popularity in falling and facing accusations of corruption, the prime minister uses the Iranian threat to maintain its united coalition and justify new military actions in the region.

Source: vermelho.org.br



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