Donald Trump’s controversial plan aims to displace the Gaza Strip’s population and grant the US ownership of the enclave. The Emirati ambassador to the US said in an interview on 12 February that he does not “see an alternative” to US President Donald Trump’s plan to expel Gaza’s residents, take over the strip, and redevelop it.
When asked by a reporter at the World Government Summit in Dubai if the UAE can find “common ground” with Washington on the matter, Ambassador Yousef al-Otaiba said: “We’re gonna try, I think the current approach is going to be difficult, but at the end of the day, we’re all in the solution seeking business. We just don’t know where it’s gonna land yet.”
In response to a question about whether the UAE has a plan or alternative, he said: “Not yet. I don’t see an alternative to what’s being proposed, I really don’t. And so, if someone has one, we’re happy to discuss it, we’re happy to explore it. But it hasn’t surfaced yet.”
Trump announced last week that the US will “take over” Gaza and relocate its population to neighboring countries, claiming that the plan aims to find a safer location for Palestinians while international development teams take charge of reconstructing the battered and besieged strip.
Yet the US president has since stated that Palestinians will not be allowed to return to Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly jumped on board the plan.
Trump has been insisting on the idea of Jordan and Egypt taking in the Palestinian population of the strip, which both Arab states have rejected. Egypt has said that it plans to formulate a reconstruction plan that does not involve displacing Gaza’s residents.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II said that while meeting with Trump earlier this week, he “reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank,” adding that “This is the unified Arab position.”
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said in an interview that any attempt by Israel to deport Palestinians to Jordanian territory will be regarded as a “declaration of war.”
The UAE ambassador’s comments come as there has been concern over a potential collapse of the ceasefire in Gaza.
The Emirati government had reportedly been in talks earlier this year for a solution to manage post-war affairs in the strip.