Gaza, February 12, 2025: Senior Arab officials have strongly condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial plan to take over Gaza and resettle Palestinians, warning that it could shatter a fragile ceasefire and escalate regional tensions.
Speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit cautioned that if Trump proceeds with his proposal, it could plunge the Middle East into another cycle of crises, with devastating consequences for peace and stability.
Trump sparked outrage across the Arab world by unexpectedly declaring that the United States would assume control of Gaza, relocate its over two million residents, and transform the enclave into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
“If the situation explodes militarily once more, all efforts toward maintaining the ceasefire will be wasted,” Aboul Gheit warned.
Jasem al-Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), urged Trump to consider the long-standing ties between Washington and the Arab world.
“There has to be give and take—he states his opinion, and the Arab world must voice theirs. But what he is proposing will not be accepted by the Arab world,” Budaiwi emphasized.
For Jordan, the plan raises deep concerns, reviving fears of a mass expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank—an idea long promoted by Israeli ultra-nationalists who see Jordan as an alternative Palestinian homeland.
Trump’s plan has drawn widespread international criticism, with analysts warning that any forced resettlement of Palestinians could ignite fresh conflict and further destabilize an already volatile region.
China opposes Palestinians’ forced displacement
Meanwhile China on Wednesday reiterated its opposition to what it called “forced displacement” of Palestinians when asked about US President Donald Trump’s plan to move Gaza’s inhabitants elsewhere.
“Gaza belongs to the Palestinians and is an integral part of the Palestinian territory… We oppose the forced displacement of the people of Gaza,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing.
