Displacing Palestinians would be a moral abomination, Human Rights Watch Israel and Palestine director said on Wednesday in response to a proposal from President Donald Trump for the United States to take over Gaza.
"It would be a moral abomination," Omar Shakir, from the international non-government organization that advocates for human rights, told Reuters.
"International humanitarian law forbids the forced displacement of the population of an occupied territory. When such forced displacement is widespread, it can amount to a war crime or a crime against humanity", added Shakir.
United States President Donald Trump had announced an extraordinary proposal for the US to "take over" and "own" the Gaza Strip, suggesting that his administration will spearhead redevelopment efforts to transform the war-ravaged enclave into "the Riviera of the Middle East".
Speaking at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, Trump stated that his administration would lead an economic reconstruction initiative to "supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area."
"The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We'll own it," Trump said, adding that his plan involved clearing debris, dismantling unexploded ordnance, and laying the foundation for large-scale investment.
The announcement marks a dramatic departure from longstanding US policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and has drawn swift condemnation from Palestinian leaders and human rights advocates.
Hamas rejects ‘recipe for chaos’
The Palestinian group Hamas, which governs Gaza, condemned the plan, calling it a “recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region.”
"Our people in the Gaza Strip will not allow these plans to pass," Hamas said in a statement. "What is required is an end to the occupation and aggression against our people, not their expulsion from their land."
Trump’s remarks suggested that displaced Palestinians could be resettled elsewhere, though he also stated that "many people will live there," including Palestinians.
"This was not a decision made lightly. Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent," he said.
