Egypt, Hamas, PLO hail Trump remarks on not 'expelling' Palestinians
by Naharnet Newsdesk 8 hours
Egypt, Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organization welcomed on Thursday remarks from US President Donald Trump after he said "nobody's expelling any Palestinians" from the Gaza Strip.
It was not immediately clear whether Trump's remarks signaled backtracking from his proposed plan to take over the Palestinian territory, displacing its population to neighboring countries.
"Nobody's expelling any Palestinians," Trump said in the White House on Wednesday, dismissing a question from a reporter who asked whether plans to "expel Palestinians out of Gaza" were under discussion with visiting Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin.
Egypt, which with the United States and Qatar is mediating truce talks between Hamas and Israel, "expressed its appreciation for U.S. President Donald Trump's statements ... regarding not demanding residents of the Gaza Strip to leave."
In a foreign ministry statement, it called Trump's statement a "positive direction" that must be built on to advance efforts for peace.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem in turn applauded what he said was a "clear retreat" from the U.S. proposal for Gaza.
"Trump's statements regarding not expelling Gaza's residents are welcome," he told AFP.
Trump's proposal has been widely rejected, including by U.S. allies, and countered with an Arab plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip under the future administration of the Palestinian Authority.
"We appreciate the statements of the U.S. president in which he confirmed that the residents of the Gaza Strip are not required to leave their homeland," Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary general of the PLO, a Palestinian umbrella group of factions that excludes Hamas, wrote on X.
The Egyptian-led plan was put forward by the Arab League and adopted by the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
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The United States on Wednesday vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza because it was not linked to the release of hostages, saying it would embolden Hamas militants. All 14 other members of the council voted in favor of the resolution, which described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as 'catastrophic' and called on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid to the 2.1 million Palestinians in the territory. The resolution before the U.N.'s most powerful body also did not fulfill two other U.S. demands: It did not condemn Hamas' deadly attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the war, or say the militant group must disarm and withdraw from Gaza. Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea, speaking to the council immediately before the vote, said the resolution would undermine the security of Israel. a close U.S. ally, and diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire 'that reflects the realities on the ground.' U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the resolution would only have empowered Hamas. 'Hamas could end this brutal conflict immediately by laying down its arms and releasing all remaining hostages,' he said in a statement. Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon thanked the United States for refusing to abandon the hostages. He said the resolution's failure to make the release of hostages a condition for a ceasefire would have put all the pressure on Israel and handed Hamas 'time, leverage and political cover.' What other members of the Security Council say But the U.S. veto of the resolution — its fifth since the start of the war — was roundly criticized by other members of the council, who accused the United States of providing Israel with impunity. The Chinese ambassador to the U.N. said Israel's actions have 'crossed every red line' of international humanitarian law and seriously violated U.N. resolutions. 'Yet, due to the shielding by one country, these violations have not been stopped or held accountable,' Ambassador Fu Cong said. Britain's U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward, a usual U.S. ally, lashed out at Israel. 'This Israeli government's decisions to expand its military operations in Gaza and severely restrict aid are unjustifiable, disproportionate and counterproductive, and the U.K. completely opposes them,' she said. Pakistan's Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said the U.S. veto 'will be remembered as a complicity, a green light for continued annihilation. A moment where the entire world was expecting action. But yet again, this council was blocked and prevented by one member from carrying out its responsibility.' Slovenia's U.N. 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Unlike in the Security Council, assembly resolutions are not legally binding, though they are seen as a barometer of world opinion. The U.S. vetoed the last Security Council resolution on Gaza in November, under the Biden administration, also because the ceasefire demand was not directly linked to the release of all hostages. Similarly, the current resolution demands those taken by Hamas and other groups be released, but it does not make it a condition for a truce. President Donald Trump's administration has tried to ramp up its efforts to broker peace in Gaza after 20 months of war. However, Hamas has sought amendments to a U.S. proposal that special envoy Steve Witkoff has called 'totally unacceptable.' Why food aid is not reaching people in Gaza The vote followed a decision by an Israeli and U.S.-backed foundation to pause food delivery in Gaza after health officials said dozens of Palestinians were killed in a series of shootings this week. Israel and the United States say the new system was designed to prevent Hamas from stealing aid previously distributed by the U.N. The United Nations has rejected the new system. The U.N. says its distribution system worked very well during the March ceasefire and is carefully monitored. Gaza is almost completely reliant on international aid because Israel's offensive has destroyed nearly all food production capabilities. Israel imposed a blockade on supplies into Gaza on March 2, and limited aid began to enter again late last month after pressure from allies and warnings of famine. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 251. They are still holding 58 hostages, a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The ministry is led by medical professionals but reports to the Hamas-run government. Its toll is seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts, though Israel has challenged its numbers. AP
