Labour Minister Rejects Donald Trump’s Plan For America To ‘Take Over’ Gaza

A Labour minister has rejected Donald Trump’s plan to “clean out” Gaza and move its two million inhabitants to neighbouring countries.

Environment secretary Steve Reed said they “should be able to return to their homes and rebuild their shattered lives”.

Speaking alongside Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said Gaza could be turned into “the Riviera of the Middle East”.

According to the Associated Press news agency, Trump said: “You look over the decades, it’s all death in Gaza. This has been happening for years. It’s all death.

“If we can get a beautiful area to resettle people, permanently, in nice homes where they can be happy and not be shot and not be killed and not be knifed to death like what’s happening in Gaza.”

But on Sky News, Reed said Palestinians should be able to return to their homes following the ceasefire with Israel.

He said: “I can tell you what the UK’s position on this is. Our view is that Palestinian civilians have been through a living nightmare for the last 14 months. 

“They need to be able to return to their homes and then start to rebuild them. They will need an awful lot of support from the international community to do that.

“What we really want to get to is a long-lasting peace for this region, where we’ve seen conflagrations breaking out so frequently and most horrifically over the last 14 months.

“We need to get to a lasting peace and that can only be based on a two-state solution with a secure Israel living at peace with its neighbours and a free and viable Palestinian state.”

Asked for his view on Trump’s comments, the minister said: “I can give you the UK government’s view. What I won’t do is provide a running commentary on the pronouncements of the president of the United States or any other world leader.

“I think we should give Donald Trump credit for the role that he played in securing the ceasefire in the first place, but it is the view of the British government that Palestinians should be able to return to their homes and rebuild their shattered lives.”