Palestinian president condemns Trump's suggestion to 'clean out' Gaza Strip

The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has sharply condemned US President Donald Trump's suggestion to clean out the Gaza Strip and request that Egypt and Jordan take in more Palestinians.

In a statement, the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited control over parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, says the prospect of mass displacement from the Gaza Strip constitutes a violation of the red lines that we have repeatedly warned against.

Our people will not leave, the statement said. We warn of the repercussions of such a dangerous Israeli policy that contributes to severing the ties of the Gaza Strip, and displacing its people, which will lead to destabilisation and security.

 

Trump's remarks suggesting that Palestinians be encouraged to leave Gaza gets at the core of Palestinian fears that they will be driven from their remaining homeland.

The Palestinian presidency said it was ready to assume its full duties in the Gaza Strip in hopes of eventually establishing an independent Palestinian state. The Palestinian Authority, based in the West Bank city of Ramallah, briefly controlled Gaza after Israeli troops withdrew in 2005, only to be driven out by its rival Hamas two years later.