The letter was sent on Monday and signed by the foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, as well as Palestinian presidential adviser Hussein al-Sheikh. It was reported first by Axios, which said the top diplomats met in Cairo over the weekend.
Trump first floated the suggestion of Jordan and Egypt taking in Palestinians from Gaza on Jan. 25. When asked if he was suggesting that as a long-term or short-term solution, the president stressed: “Could be either.”
The U.S. president’s comments echoed long-standing Palestinian fears of being permanently driven from their homes and were labeled as a proposal of ethnic cleansing by critics. Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations opposed the proposal.
“Reconstruction in Gaza should be through direct engagement with and participation of the people of Gaza. Palestinians will live in their land and help rebuild it,” the letter read.
“And they should not be stripped of their agency during reconstruction as they must take ownership of the process with the support of the international community,” it added.
Authorities in the Gaza Strip have updated the death toll from Israel’s war on the blockaded enclave to 61,709, having added thousands who are missing and now presumed dead.
