JORDAN, EGYPT REJECT RESETTLEMENT OF PALESTINIANS AFTER TRUMP’S CALL TO ‘CLEAN OUT’ GAZA

AMMAN (Jordan), Jan 27 (Bernama-AA) -- Jordan and Egypt reiterated their rejection of the resettlement of Palestinians on Sunday after United States (US) President Donald Trump’s call to “clean out” the Gaza Strip Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

"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, the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza.

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

"The solution to the Palestinian issue lies in Palestine; Jordan is for Jordanians and Palestine is for Palestinians,” he 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.

In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry affirmed "Egypt's continued support for the resilience of the Palestinian people on their land and their commitment to their legitimate rights in their homeland, in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law."

It emphasised "its rejection of any infringement on these inalienable rights, whether through (Israeli) settlement expansion, land annexation, or the removal of Palestinians from their land through resettlement, encouragement of transfer, or uprooting, whether temporary or long-term."

The statement considered such actions a "threat to stability, a warning of an expanded regional conflict, and a barrier to opportunities for peace and coexistence among the region's peoples."

Egypt urged "the international community to work towards the actual implementation of the two-state solution, including the establishment of a Palestinian state on its full national territory, in the context of the unity of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and the borders of June 4, 1967."

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

Describing Gaza as a "demolition site," Trump said Saturday that “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,” he 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.

-- BERNAMA-AA