The US president’s bid to relocate Palestinians is meaningless and politically motivated, according to the Turkish leader
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denounced US President Donald Trump’s proposal to take control of Gaza, calling it a meaningless plan pushed by the “Zionist lobby.”
Trump floated the idea of the US owning the Palestinian enclave last week at a press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He reiterated his previous call to relocate the Palestinians outside Gaza, shifting the burden onto neighboring countries.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Erdogan expressed Ankara’s firm opposition to any plan that would forcibly expel the Palestinian population from their homeland.
“The proposals put forward by the new American administration regarding Gaza with the pressure of the Zionist lobby have nothing worth considering or discussing,” Erdogan told a news conference at Istanbul Airport before flying to Malaysia.
Trump’s plan proposes transforming Gaza into what he describes as “the Riviera of the Middle East.” Under the plan, displaced Palestinians would first relocate to Jordan, Egypt, and other Arab countries, with some eventually resettling in the newly developed area. Netanyahu has voiced support for the proposal, calling it the “first good idea” he has heard concerning the region’s future.
Erdogan described the idea as “completely futile.”“No one has the power to remove the people of Gaza from their eternal homeland that has been around for thousands of years. Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem belong to the Palestinians,” he argued.
Türkiye has been one of Israel’s most vocal critics throughout the Gaza conflict. In May, Erdogan severed trade ties with the Jewish state in response to the war, which he has consistently compared to the Holocaust.
Trump’s initiative has been strongly opposed by key regional players, with Jordan, Egypt, the Arab League, and Hamas all rejecting it. Global powers, including Germany, France, Brazil, Russia, and China, have also condemned the displacement proposal.
Opponents of the plan argue that forced relocation would violate international law, with human rights groups calling it “ethnic cleansing.”
Despite the criticism, Trump is reportedly pressing forward with diplomatic talks, seeking input from Arab leaders to refine his approach.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog told Fox News on Sunday that the US president is set to meet with key Arab leaders, including the king of Jordan, the president of Egypt, and potentially the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, to negotiate the relocation of Palestinians.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry earlier strongly rejected the proposal, arguing that Palestinians are the rightful owners of their land, not “intruders” or “immigrants” who can be expelled at the will of the “Israeli occupation.”
