(from Jerusalem) “The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too. We will own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.” President Donald Trump was speaking at a joint press conference in Washington yesterday, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who expressed his appreciation: “You are the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House.” In short, for the US president, Gaza, a “symbol of death and destruction”, will be transformed into the “Riviera” of the Middle East. Trump rejected the possibility of entrusting the process of rebuilding and occupation to “the same people who have lived a miserable existence there.” So what will happen to the Palestinians? “They should leave Gaza and live in peace elsewhere”, as in Egypt and Jordan. These two countries, along with several Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia, firmly oppose the US plan, which likewise opposed by the Auxiliary Bishop of Jerusalem, Patriarchal Vicar for Palestine, Msgr. William Shomali.
Your Excellency, how do you feel about Trump’s plan to turn Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East”, albeit without its inhabitants?
The idea of displacing a people against their will is unacceptable, as is the idea of forcing another state to absorb them. Some of Gaza’s residents want to leave freely and on a voluntary basis, and if Egypt, Jordan and other countries want to take them in, that’s fine. It will be a free and deliberate choice made by both sides.
If the reconstruction of Gaza requires the land to be cleared of landmines, unexploded bombs and rubble – a task that could take years – then temporary relocation of the population elsewhere is a possibility, but only if they are guaranteed the right to return and are not forcibly uprooted once the reconstruction process is complete.
The right and freedom of a people to live on their own land and not be forcibly displaced should not even be questioned.
Trump said the move would bring “great stability to that part of the Middle East”…
In my view, Trump and Netanyahu intend to build settlements in Gaza, leaving only a small number of Palestinians with the option to return. Trump’s announcement came as a shock to us because it makes clear what their intentions are regarding the future of Gaza. Egypt and Jordan have strongly rejected the idea of absorbing a massive influx of Palestinians. Taking in vulnerable families, the elderly and the sick is one thing, but not a population of more than two million.
Respect for human rights is what is at stake here. Then there is another aspect to consider….
Which is…?
Both Trump and Netanyahu never mentioned the UN resolutions and the Two Peoples Two States solution. Trump cannot step into the shoes of the United Nations. In response to the US president’s plan, Saudi Arabia promptly declared that there would be no normalisation of relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state. China and Russia, as well as other key countries, will not accept a unilateral solution on Gaza. Will there be a Palestinian state, yes or no? I think that is the crux of the matter. The conflict stems from this unanswered question. While everyone mentions it, including Trump, they never really discuss the details of a just and sustainable solution. For both leaders – Trump and Netanyahu – the Palestinian state remains a rather vague and undefined concept.
Meanwhile, the ceasefire in Gaza seems to be holding and the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners continues. Apart from Trump’s intentions, what are your hopes for the Gaza Strip, do you think that a resolution of this conflict is close?
I hope that the ceasefire will continue and that there will be a solution to this conflict. The exchange of hostages and prisoners does not solve the underlying problem, which is the war. It treats the symptoms but not the cause of the war.
It is necessary to address the root cause of the conflict, which is the question of who owns this land. Two states is the solution.
If this course of action is pursued, the conflict will come to an end; if it continues being avoided, peace in the Holy Land will be just a dream.
