The leader of the opposition Gelecek (“The Future”) party, former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, proposed giving the Gaza Strip the status of Turkish autonomy, the decision should be made by Gazans in a referendum.
⠀
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said at an open meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II that the United States would not buy the Gaza Strip, but it would be in American possession. Trump also promised the “right” steps regarding Gaza and said he was counting on agreements with Egypt.
⠀
“Turkey, as the legitimate successor of the Ottoman Empire, should treat the residents of the Gaza Strip as historical comrades and fellow citizens. Let the residents of the Gaza Strip hold a referendum and join Turkey as an autonomous region until a Palestinian State is established. The decision is up to the people of Gaza,” Davutoglu said in parliament.
⠀
According to him, the Gaza Strip was legitimately part of the Ottoman Empire, and the British mandate and occupation of Israel are illegal.
⠀
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, in particular, 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. Earlier, Republicans submitted to the US Congress a bill to replace the official documents of the West Bank region with the biblical “Judea and Samaria.”
⠀
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.
