Russia’ FM: Transfer of Palestinians from Gaza to other regions will be “time bomb”

MOSCOW, Feb. 26 (YPA) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in remarks he made on Wednesday in Qatar that the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to other areas would constitute a “time bomb” in the Middle East, according to Reuters.

The US President Donald Trump had announced a plan to permanently displace more than two million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, turning the area into a “Riviera of the Middle East” under US control.

In remarks on Friday, Trump made it clear that he would not impose the implementation of his plan, which includes US control over the Gaza Strip in order to develop it as a tourist destination and displace its residents.

In an interview with Fox News, he said that he was “surprised” by the rejection of the plan by both Egypt and Jordan. He added: “I see my plan as the best solution, and I think it can succeed, but I will not force anyone to accept it. I will only recommend it.”

Trump has previously made it clear that he would not resort to threatening to cut off financial aid to Egypt or Jordan if they refused to accept more Palestinian refugees from Gaza.

However, his plan, which includes US control of the Strip and the permanent transfer of its population, came amid a wave of international condemnation. The Palestinians and Arab states, along with human rights experts, considered the steps to constitute a form of “ethnic cleansing.”

Trump reiterated his talk of the plan in late January, expressing optimism that Egypt and Jordan would agree to it despite their rejectionist stance.

YPA