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  • Why Trump’s proposal on Gaza is ringing alarm bells in the region

    President Donald Trump's plan for the United States to take over the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and develop it economically touches on one the most sensitive issues in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Trump's plans are likely to heighten fears among Palestinians in Gaza, which had a pre-war population of around 2.3 million, of being driven out of the coastal strip, and stoke concern in Arab states that have long worried about the destabilising impact of any such exodus. Palestinians have long been haunted by what they call the "Nakba", or catastrophe, when 700,000 of them were dispossessed from their homes during the war that surrounded the creation of Israel in 1948.

  • Trump’s Gaza takeover plan sparks Middle East backlash

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to turn the war-torn Gaza Strip into the “Riviera of the Middle East” met condemnation Wednesday morning in the Arab world. In an overnight statement, the Saudi Arabian foreign ministry said it had warned “former and current U.S. administrations” about the Palestinian people’s rights — and reiterated it would not establish diplomatic relations with Israel if certain conditions were breached.  “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also reaffirms its unequivocal rejection of any infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, land annexation, or attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land,” the ministry said.

  • Trump’s Gaza shock wave stuns Middle East and some in White House

    Leaders in Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority were already horrified by Trump's repeated comments over the last two weeks about expelling Palestinians from Gaza. They will be even more nervous now. Trump's comments also shocked Saudi Arabia — a country which the president described Tuesday as a key partner in implementing his plans in the region, a U.S. source close to the Saudis told Axios. The Saudis were also upset about Trump's claim at the top of his meeting with Netanyahu that the kingdom won't condition normalization of relations with Israel on Palestinian statehood. Although it was around 4 a.m. in Riyadh, the Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded statement rejecting that claim and opposing Trump's plan for displacing Palestinians. "The Saudi crown prince doesn't want to be seen as being part of what Trump is talking about," the U.S. source said.

  • Jordan ready for war with Israel if Palestinians are expelled into its territory

    Jordan is ready to declare war on Israel in the event that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempts to forcibly expel Palestinians into its territory, Middle East Eye understands. The warning comes in the wake of repeated statements from US President Donald Trump that he would like to see Jordan and Egypt take in Palestinians as part of a move to "clean out" the Gaza Strip. Well-placed sources in Amman and Jerusalem told MEE that the last thing Jordan wants is war and it is eager for a peaceful solution. But they are adamant that the Jordanians will close the border if refugees begin to cross into the country. If the Israelis seek to re-open it, that would be "a casus belli," one source said.  The Jordanians are under no illusion they could win a war with Israel, but believe they would have no choice but to fight.

  • Middle East: Trump’s Gaza takeover remarks met with backlash

    Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Wednesday that the Gaza Strip belongs to the Palestinians.  The expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza would be unacceptable and contrary to international law, she said in a statement. The statement didn't mention US President Donald Trump, who a day earlier, suggested that the US could take over the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and develop it economically after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere. "There must be no solution over the heads of the Palestinians," said Baerbock. She added that Europe was ready to play its part with the US and regional partners to rebuild Gaza.

  • Commentary: Trump’s Gaza ‘Riviera’ plan is the most outlandish idea in the history of US Middle East peacemaking

    In a few words, Trump conjured up a mind-boggling geopolitical transformation of the Middle East and a political lifeline for Netanyahu – showing why the prime minister, despite their past tensions, was rooting for his host’s return to power in the 2024 election. Netanyahu can now bill himself to right-wing factions in his coalition, which incessantly threaten his grip on power, as the unique and vital conduit to Trump. The American president’s views now parallel Israeli hardliners’ desire to see Palestinians ousted from part of what they view as the sacred land of Israel. Trump’s comments – delivered throughout the day, first at an executive action signing ceremony, and later alongside Netanyahu in the Oval Office and at a joint news conference – were a landmark moment in the history of US peacemaking in the Middle East. To see an American president endorse what would be the forcible expulsion of Palestinians from their home, in an exodus that would subvert decades of US policy, international law and basic humanity, was breathtaking.

  • Syria: Manbij car bomb attack suspends SDF-Damascus talks

    A deadly car bomb attack near northern Syria’s Manbij has suspended negotiations between the Damascus interim government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), two sources familiar with the issue told Middle East Eye. The attack on Monday killed at least 20 people, most of them women working in agricultural fields. The area was captured from the SDF by Turkey-backed armed groups in the Syrian National Army (SNA) coalition in December. Fighting has been ongoing between the factions around the Tishreen Dam to the east. There have been seven car bombings in and around Manbij since December. No one has claimed responsibility.

  • Trump says he wants the U.S. to take ownership of the Gaza Strip

    President Trump and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu met Tuesday at the White House where Trump floated the idea of the U.S. taking ownership of the Gaza Strip and redeveloping the territory. During a press conference between the two leaders, Trump said they talked about relocating some 1.8 million Palestinians and leveling the Gaza Strip, which he suggested could become the "Riviera of the Middle East" under U.S. ownership. "We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site," Trump said as Netanyahu looked on. "Level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings. Level it out, create an economic development."

  • Saudi Arabia contradicts Trump, vows no ties with Israel without creation of Palestinian state

    Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the country rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their homeland, stressing that its position on the Palestinians is not up to negotiation. The statement noted that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has affirmed the kingdom's position in "a clear and explicit manner" that does not make other interpretations possible under any circumstances.

  • Saudi Arabia reaffirms unwavering stance on Palestinian state, rejects any political bargaining

    In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated that the Kingdom's commitment to Palestinian statehood is deeply rooted and unshakable. "This firm stance was explicitly affirmed by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman during his address at the opening of the first year of the ninth session of the Shoura Council on September 18, 2024. In his speech, the Crown Prince made it clear that Saudi Arabia will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is established, with East Jerusalem as its capital." Saudi Arabia also firmly rejected any actions that undermine Palestinian rights, including Israeli settlement expansion, land annexation, and any attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians from their homeland. The Kingdom called on the international community to take decisive action to alleviate the dire humanitarian conditions faced by the Palestinian people, who continue to stand resilient in defense of their land and rights.