Trumps Proposal to Take Over Gaza Sparks Immediate Rebukes

President Trump’s declaration on Tuesday evening that the United States could “take over” the Gaza Strip and that its Palestinian population could be permanently displaced was immediately criticized in the Middle East and beyond.At a joint White House news conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, Mr.

Trump said, “The U.S.will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too.” He said the enclave, which has been devastated by more than 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas, could be redeveloped and turned into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” Riyad Mansour, the leader of the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations, said on social media that instead of being relocated to other countries, the Palestinians in Gaza should be allowed to reclaim what were once Palestinian homes in Israel.“For those who want to send” Gazans “to a happy ‘nice place,’” Mr.

Mansour said, using language that Mr.Trump had employed, “let them go back, you know, to their original homes inside Israel.

There are nice places there, and they will be happy to return to these places.” He added that Palestinians wanted to rebuild Gaza themselves, and he urged world leaders to respect their wishes.The foreign ministry of Saudi Arabia issued a statement that did not directly refer to Mr.Trump’s remarks, though the timing suggested that it was a response to his proposal.

The ministry said it was reaffirming its “complete rejection of any infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, annexation of Palestinian lands or attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land.” We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience ...