A member of the Saudi Shura Council has criticized US President Donald Trump’s proposal to move Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, suggesting that relocating Israelis to Alaska and Greenland would be a better solution to Middle East stability.
Trump has suggested relocating Palestinians from Gaza on several occasions, claiming that he will carry out an extraordinary redevelopment plan to transform the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Following Trump’s remarks, which were widely condemned by several major Arab, European, and other countries, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ironically suggested on Thursday that Palestinians should establish their state in Saudi Arabia rather than in their own homeland, dismissing any notion of Palestinian sovereignty.
“The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there,” he said.
“If he (Trump) truly wants to be a hero of peace and achieve stability and prosperity for the Middle East, he should relocate his beloved Israelis to the state of Alaska and then to Greenland—after annexing it,” Shura Council member Yousef bin Trad Al-Saadoun said in an article for the Saudi newspaper Okaz on Friday.
He urged Palestinians to remain united, as “the worst is yet to come.”
Trump’s proposal was met with wide condemnations from the Palestinians, Arab countries, and many other nations across the world, including Canada, France, Germany, and the UK.
Saadoun also dismissed Netanyahu’s call for establishing a Palestinian state on Saudi territory.
“The Zionists and their allies must realize they will not succeed in dragging the Saudi leadership into media traps and false political pressures,” he said.
The Saudi official further criticized Trump’s decision-making, arguing that poor choices are made by those who “ignore accumulated knowledge and expertise” and refuse to consult specialists.
He also accused Washington of blindly adopting Israel’s methods.
“The official foreign policy of the United States will seek the illegal occupation of sovereign land and the ethnic cleansing of its population—both of which are Israel’s methods and constitute crimes against humanity.”
Riyadh on Sunday strongly condemned Netanyahu’s comments about Palestinian statehood in Saudi Arabia and emphasized the right of the Palestinian people to their land.
The Saudi Shura Council, whose members are appointed by the king, advises on policy and legislation but lacks legislative power, focusing on laws, economic plans, and social policies.
Anadolu Agency
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