A summary of the day so far
Here’s a recap of all the day’s developments:
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A proposal by Donald Trump that the US could “take over” the Gaza Strip and that the Palestinians could live in “peace and harmony” elsewhere has sparked widespread international condemnation. Trump insisted on Wednesday that “everybody loves” his proposal.
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Trump’s top diplomat, secretary of state Marco Rubio, and spokesperson, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, appeared to backtrack his proposal that he wants a permanent relocation of Palestinians from Gaza. “The president has made it clear that they need to be temporarily relocated out of Gaza,” Leavitt said during a White House briefing. Rubio said the idea “was not meant as hostile”, describing it as a “generous move – the offer to rebuild and to be in charge of the rebuilding”.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Gaza was “an integral part of the State of Palestine” and that “we will not allow the rights of our people… to be infringed on”.
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The UN secretary general, António Guterres, warned against “any form of ethnic cleansing”, adding that it is “vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law”. The UN chief said that any durable peace will require a “tangible, irreversible and permanent” progress toward the two state solution as well as the establishment of an “independent Palestinian state with Gaza as an integral part”.
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An EU spokesperson said…
