Arab League Secretary-General Rejects Relocation of Palestinians from Gaza and West Bank

The Secretary-General of the Arab League rejected any relocation of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, calling it an "unacceptable" action for the region. At the same time, the U.S. Secretary of State stated that Washington is ready to hear alternative proposals from its Arab allies. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, said on Wednesday, February 13, during a summit of state leaders in Dubai that the focus today is on Gaza and tomorrow will shift to the West Bank with the aim of evacuating Palestine of its historical inhabitants. He stated that this is unacceptable for the Arab world, which has "struggled for a hundred years." Mr. Aboul Gheit, who has previously served as Egypt's foreign minister for years, added, "After a hundred years of resistance, we Arabs will not surrender at all because we have not suffered a political, military, or cultural defeat." Donald Trump has repeatedly proposed the idea of U.S. control over the Gaza Strip, reconstruction, and relocating its inhabitants to other areas since his first meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister after returning to power on February 5. In a meeting on Tuesday, February 12, with King Abdullah II of Jordan, the first Arab leader invited to the White House, Trump elaborated on his idea, suggesting that Jordan, Egypt, and perhaps other countries each allocate land to build "beautiful homes" for the "safe living" of Gaza's Palestinians. King Abdullah II emphasized that Jordan is transferring 2,000 cancer-stricken children from Gaza for treatment in Jordanian health centers and that Jordan will decide based on its interests and in alignment with the decisions of Arab countries around Egypt's plan for Gaza's reconstruction. Saudi Arabia has invited Jordan to negotiations regarding this matter in Riyadh. According to the Jordanian king, Arab countries will soon inform Trump of their response to his plan. He stressed that the Arab countries' opposition to the relocation of Palestinians is "unified." The Cairo News Network, affiliated with the government of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Egypt, reported on Wednesday, citing official sources, that Egypt rejects any proposal to allocate land for the settlement of Gaza's inhabitants. According to regional media, Egypt's plan, which is set to be discussed in Riyadh, is focused on the reconstruction of Gaza without relocating its inhabitants. On Wednesday, February 13, Reuters reported that two Egyptian security sources stated that if Donald Trump's plan for the relocation of Gaza's Palestinians remains on the agenda, the Egyptian president will not visit the White House. The Egyptian presidency previously announced that during a phone call on February 2 between Donald Trump and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the U.S. president invited his Egyptian counterpart to the White House, but no date for the meeting was set. During his meeting with King Abdullah II, Trump retracted his previous statement regarding the potential cut of U.S. financial aid to Jordan and Egypt, stating, "We are beyond such a situation." The Saudi Foreign Ministry also issued a strong statement against Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks about the relocation of Gaza's inhabitants on Monday. Trump's repeated emphasis on the Gaza idea has faced increasing reactions from countries. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated on Wednesday that Gaza belongs to the Palestinians and is an inseparable part of Palestinian territory. Spokesperson Geng Shuang said that China opposes the "forced displacement" of Gaza's people. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in interviews following the Jordanian king's meeting with Trump that Washington is ready to hear alternative proposals from Arab allies who oppose Trump's proposal regarding Gaza. Rubio said that if they do not like Trump's plan, it is the only one currently on the table, and it is now up to the Arab countries to present a better plan if they have one, and "we are ready to listen." He also mentioned that Hamas can no longer govern Gaza, and Israel cannot allow Hamas to use the ceasefire to regain its strength. Hamas, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., threatened on Tuesday to halt the process of releasing Israeli hostages, claiming that Israel has violated its commitments, including those regarding increasing aid to Gaza. Netanyahu warned that if Hamas does not release the hostages by February 17, the Gaza war will resume. Meanwhile, Rubio stated that "not every claim from Hamas can be believed." Israeli Channel Kan published a document from the Israeli government regarding its "commitment" to the agreements made in the ceasefire, stating that "only the part regarding the transfer of mobile homes to Gaza" has not been fulfilled. This report indicated that these pre-fabricated mobile homes were supposed to arrive from Egypt to Gaza, and "Israel has no involvement in that." Rubio mentioned that Trump, after seeing the condition of the Israeli hostages released last Saturday, "lost his patience" and is tired of waiting for the release of one, two, or three hostages every few days, emphasizing that all hostages must be released soon and at once. He also told Newsmax that the president is serious in his statement and that if Hamas does not release the hostages, it will be "destroyed." Following Netanyahu's warning to Hamas on Tuesday night, the army has been ordered to increase its forces around Gaza, while families of the hostages are increasing pressure on Netanyahu's government to continue the first phase of the agreement and enter immediate negotiations for the next stages of the ceasefire. Thousands of Israelis blocked Highway 1 from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Tuesday night, and thousands more gathered in Jerusalem next to the Prime Minister's house in protest. The Israeli cabinet, on Tuesday night, supported Trump's statements and gave Hamas a deadline to release all hostages by 12:00 PM on Saturday, February 17. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu's intention is to secure the release of nine more male hostages based on the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which was supposed to be released in groups of three on upcoming Saturdays. According to the agreement, on the day of the last group's release, the bodies of eight deceased hostages were also to be handed over to Israel. There are still 76 Israeli citizens held hostage in Gaza, of which 35 are likely dead. Seven male hostages released in recent days, in poor physical and mental condition, have supported the campaign to free the remaining hostages, stating that the lives of all male hostages are at risk "deep in Hamas's tunnels."