Tripoli— Libya has announced Thursday its “absolute rejection” of any policies or practices aimed at expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza Strip describing such calls and rhetoric as “racist policies”.
In a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation it said ” Libya stresses its absolute rejection of any practices aimed at the forced displacement or arbitrary expulsion of Palestinians, or changing the demographic composition of the occupied territories, or imposing racist policies that perpetuate the occupation and violate the most basic human rights.”
“It also condemns any acts of violence targeting civilians or exploited as a pretext to sustain the occupation and undermine the chances of achieving a just peace,” it added.
This Libyan official position came as a reaction to US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Gaza Strip be cleared of its Palestinian people which has sparked widespread condemnation by the Palestinians and world leaders all over the globe.
On 5 February, President Trump said the US would “take over” and “own” Gaza after resettling Palestinians elsewhere under an extraordinary redevelopment plan that he claimed could turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East”.
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it,” Trump said at the White House after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding that his administration would take responsibility for clearing destroyed buildings and dismantling “dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons”.
Hamas, the Palestinian resistance organization in Gaza swiftly condemned the proposal describing it as another act “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.
“In light of the dangerous escalation of racist rhetoric and repressive practices against the Palestinian people, Libya expresses its strong condemnation of any form of political violence or hate crimes targeting Palestinians,” the Libyan Foreign Ministry said.
It pointed out that such practices constitute a “flagrant violation of international law, international criminal law and relevant Security Council resolutions,” and represent a serious threat to regional and international peace and security, and undermine efforts to achieve a comprehensive solution to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
Libya reiterates that a comprehensive political solution is the only way to achieve lasting peace, through activating the Arab Peace Initiative and implementing relevant international resolutions, which ensure the end of the Israeli occupation, the establishment of the independent Palestinian state, and guaranteeing the right of Palestinian refugees to return.
Following Trump’s Tuesday press conference with Netanyahu, Saudi Arabia said it would not agree to ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state is stablished with East Jerusalem as its capital.
“Saudi Arabia will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement posted on the platform X.
It said that the kingdom rejects “attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land.” The statement said that Riyadh’s position was “unwavering” and “non-negotiable.”
The Human Rights Watch and other international organizations say Trump’s plan, if implemented, would amount to “ethnic cleansing,” the forcible relocation of the civilian population of an ethnic group from a geographic area.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Trump’s proposal “makes no sense”. “Where would Palestinians live? This is something incomprehensible to any human being,” Lula said. “Palestinians are the ones who need to take care of Gaza.”