Malaysia says ‘strongly opposes’ any plan to forcibly resettle Gazans

Kuala Lumpur (AFP): Malaysia said Thursday it “strongly opposes” any plan to forcibly resettle Palestinians from Gaza, after President Donald Trump floated a stunning proposal for the United States to take over the war-shattered enclave.

Trump said Tuesday the United States would rebuild the Gaza Strip and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East”, without detailing how nearly two million Palestinians might be moved out of the territory.

Muslim-majority Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Israel and many in the Southeast Asian country support the Palestinians.

“Malaysia strongly opposes any proposal that could lead to the forced displacement or movement of Palestinians from their homeland,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

“Such inhumane actions constitute ethnic cleansing and are clear violations of international law and multiple UN resolutions.

“Any attempt, whether direct or indirect, to unilaterally and forcefully impose solutions that disregard the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and infringes on their freedom is unacceptable, unjustifiable and will only further deepen one of the longest conflicts in the region.”

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has been vocal in opposing Israel’s war against Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007, and sparked the war with its unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Anwar has said that Malaysia maintains good relations with the political wing of Hamas but has no connections with its military wing.

His government has channelled donations and humanitarian aid amounting to $10.19 million to the Palestinian people in Gaza since the war erupted.

The Trump administration appeared to backtrack on the Gaza proposal on Wednesday, with top officials saying the US would not deploy troops or fund reconstruction with taxpayer dollars.