Any effort to displace Palestinians from Gaza would be “unacceptable” and in breach of international law, the German foreign minister has said.
Comments made by US president Donald Trump suggesting the United States could “take over” the Gaza Strip and displace the 2.1 million Palestinians living there were condemned by several European governments.
Mr Trump made the remarks as he hosted Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu in the White House, three weeks on from a ceasefire deal that paused the 15-month conflict between Israel and Hamas militants.
German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said Gaza “lies in ruins” and the scale of destruction in the Palestinian enclave was shocking. While Hamas could not have any future role, it was clear that Gaza “belongs to the Palestinians,” she said.
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“A displacement of the Palestinian civilian population from Gaza would not only be unacceptable and in breach of international law. It would also lead to new suffering and new hatred,” she said.
Her comments were echoed by the French government, which said any forced displacement of the Palestinian population would be a “serious violation of international law” and have a big destabilising effect on the region.
Spanish minister for foreign affairs José Manuel Albares said Gaza was the land of the Palestinians and “they must stay in Gaza”.
Separately, more than 100 MEPs called for the European Commission to raise the ban on the UN agency serving Palestinian refugees with the Israeli government.
EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas is due to meet representatives from Israel’s government later this month in Brussels. EU states are negotiating a common position for Ms Kallas to put forward.
In a joint letter, more than 100 MEPs called for the suspension of Unrwa to be brought up in the meeting as a “priority”.
Legislation passed by the Israeli Knesset has banned the operation of Unrwa [United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees] on Israeli land. The UN agency is viewed as a vital lifeline and provider of aid and services to Palestinians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
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The letter from MEPs said the effective suspension of Unrwa services would have serious implications for humanitarian efforts. “Undermining Unrwa risks further destabilisation and weakens one of the key parameters for a peaceful resolution,” it said.
The idea for the joint letter was proposed by Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews, Green MEP Tineke Strik and Matjaž Nemec, a centre left Slovenian MEP. It was signed by MEPs from Renew, the Socialists & Democrats, the Greens, and the Left group.
Only six of the 188 MEPs from the centre–right European People’s Party group put their names to the letter. Four of the six who did were Irish MEPs from Fine Gael.
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