Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said US President Donald Trump’s suggestion of turning Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East” and resettling its Palestinian residents would be a “clear violation” of international law.

Trump’s remarks this week shattered US policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and sparked widespread criticism. His suggestion was swiftly condemned by international powers, with Saudi Arabia rejecting the plan outright.

Under international law, attempts to forcibly transfer populations are strictly prohibited, and Palestinians as well as Arab nations will see this as nothing short of a clear proposal aimed at their expulsion and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their land, Reuters reported.

In a statement issued by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) on Wednesday, the ministry emphasized that no one else has the right to decide their fate.

“The Islamic Emirate believes that such plans not only represent the sinister motives of the Zionist regime, but also provoke widespread resentment among Muslims and escalate tensions in the region,” the statement read.

The statement added that the Islamic Emirate urges influential and justice-seeking countries to take a united, practical, and timely stance against such conspiracies.

Turkey meanwhile called the proposal “unacceptable” and France said it risked destabilising the Middle East.

Countries from Russia, China, Germany, Spain, Ireland and the UK said they continued to support the two-state solution that has formed the basis of Washington’s policy in the region for decades, which has held that Gaza would be part of a future Palestinian state that includes the occupied West Bank, Reuters reported.

Trump, in his first major Middle East policy announcement, said he envisioned building a resort where international communities could live in harmony after over 15 months of Israeli bombardment devastated the tiny coastal enclave and killed more than 47,000 people, by Palestinian tallies.

Last year, Trump’s son-in-law and former aide Jared Kushner described Gaza as “valuable” waterfront property.

Netanyahu and Trump meet

Welcoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House on Tuesday, Trump said he would support an effort to permanently resettle Palestinians from Gaza to places where they can live without fear of violence, and he and his team had been discussing this possibility with Jordan, Egypt and other regional countries.

In a news conference, Trump said Jordan’s King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi would come around to the idea despite their rejections, saying they will “open their hearts and will give us the kind of land that we need to get this done and people can live in harmony and in peace.”

The casual proposal sent diplomatic shockwaves across the Middle East and around the globe. China said it opposed the forced transfer of Palestinians.
An official from Palestinian group Hamas, which ruled the Gaza Strip the war broke out, said Trump’s statement about taking over the enclave was “ridiculous and absurd”.

“Any ideas of this kind are capable of igniting the region,” Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters, saying Hamas remains committed to the ceasefire accord with Israel and “ensuring the success of the negotiation in the second phase”.

It is not clear whether Trump will go ahead with his controversial plan or is simply taking an extreme position as a bargaining strategy. He provided no specifics at the news conference.