The chairman of the UN Commission on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Navi Pillay, called the intentions of US President Donald Trump to resettle Palestinians from the Gaza Strip equivalent to ethnic cleansing.
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Earlier, Trump said that the United States would “take control” of the Gaza Strip and be responsible for reconstruction work in the region, as well as turn it into a “Middle Eastern riviera” for the whole world. At the same time, he called the current Gaza Strip a “demolition site” and said that its residents should leave for other countries forever, offering Jordan or Egypt for their residence. He also did not rule out that the United States could send its army to Gaza, and promised that he would visit the sector personally.
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“Trump is appallingly ignorant of international law and occupation law. The forcible displacement of an occupied group is an international crime, and it amounts to ethnic cleansing,” Pillay said.
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The Palestinian Hamas movement has condemned Trump’s remarks about the expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the establishment of American control over the enclave.
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Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, during a speech in parliament, called the Gaza Strip a “failed experiment” and called for listening to Trump’s ideas about relocating residents of the enclave to other countries.
