Donald Trump’s proposal that the US “take over” Gaza and permanently resettle its Palestinian residents has swiftly rejected by American allies and adversaries.
The comments came amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, during which the militant group has been turning over hostages in exchange for the release of prisoners held by Israel.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood alongside Trump as he made the comments, smiling as he set out his idea and saying the US president’s plan was “worth listening to”.
Egypt and Jordan have already rejected the idea of relocating more than 2 million Palestinians from Gaza elsewhere in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia, an important American ally, reacted to Trump’s comments with a sharply worded statement, saying its call for an independent Palestinian state was a “firm, steadfast and unwavering position”.
Similarly, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese told reporters his country has long supported a two-state solution in the Middle East and that nothing had changed.
New Zealand’s foreign ministry said its “long-standing support for a two-state solution is on the record” and added that it, too, “won’t be commenting on every proposal that is put forward”.
Hamas said Trump’s proposal was a “recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region”.
“Instead of holding the Zionist occupation accountable for the crime of genocide and displacement, it is being rewarded, not punished,” the militant group said in a statement.
In the US, opposition politicians quickly rejected Trump’s idea, with Democratic senator Chris Coons calling his comments “offensive and insane and dangerous and foolish”.
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