Trump's Plan To Turn Gaza Into Seaside Resort, Remove 2 Million Palestinians Roundly Rejected By World Leaders

President Donald Trump‘s proposal for the United States to “take over the Gaza Strip,” level it and rebuild the area after Palestinians are sent elsewhere has been rejected from just about all corners of the world, from the Middle East to the Midwest.

Trump’s remarks during a Tuesday press conference with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in which he suggested turning Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East" particularly galled world leaders who argue that moving nearly 2 million Palestinians from Gaza is tantamount to ethnic cleansing.

Global Condemnation Is Swift

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who resides in the West Bank town of Ramallah, weighed in.

"We will not allow the rights of our people, for which we have struggled for decades and made great sacrifices to achieve, to be infringed upon," Abbas said, according to Bethlehem-based Ma'an news agency.

"These calls represent a serious violation of international law, and peace and stability will not be achieved in the region without the establishment of the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital on the borders of June 4, 1967, based on a two-state solution."

Abbas is visiting Jordan's King Abdullah, who is expected to pay Trump a visit Feb. 11.

Abdullah echoed Abbas' comments. "His Majesty the King stressed the need to stop (Jewish) settlement activities and reject any attempts to annex lands and displace Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, stressing the need to establish the Palestinians on their land," per a statement published by Jordan's state news agency.

Trump said Jordanian and Egyptian leaders would come around despite their rejections. So far, Egypt and other Arab nations have roundly rejected the idea of Palestinians in Gaza being moved to their countries.

"Palestinians should not be leaving Gaza while it is being rebuilt,” said Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, per CNN.

Saudi Arabia also expressed "unwavering" support for a Palestinian state and restated its long-held position that it will not commit to normalization of relations with Israel without such guarantees.

European leaders were practically unanimous in their rejection of Trump’s plan. "Any idea of displacing the people of Gaza anywhere else would be in clear contradiction with U.N. Security Council resolutions,” said Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris.

Congress Members Speak Out

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called the proposal "problematic," adding that he didn't think sending the U.S. Army to Gaza would sit well with his constituents. "We'll see what the Arab world says, but you know, that'd be problematic at many, many levels."

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia called the proposal "deranged" and a "magnet for trouble."

"I don't know where this came from, but I can tell you … that would not get many expressions of support from Democrats or Republicans up here," said Kaine, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.

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