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World must respect Palestinians’ desire to stay in Gaza: UN envoy

Wednesday, 05 February 2025 4:14 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 05 February 2025 4:14 PM ]

A Palestinian flag flutters among the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israel in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, February 4, 2025. (Photo by Reuters)

The Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour says world leaders should respect the Palestinians’ desire to remain in Gaza.

Mansour’s remark on Wednesday came against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s talk of taking over Gaza.

The Palestinian official did not name Trump but appeared to reject the US president’s proposal.

“Our homeland is our homeland, if part of it is destroyed, the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian people selected the choice to return to it.”

“And I think that leaders and people should respect the wishes of the Palestinian people.”

Trump's 'Gaza takeover' plan rejected by US allies; sparks global outrage

European allies of the US, as well as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, China and Russia say they all commitment to a two-state solution.

Trump provoked global shock with his announcement that the United States should take over the Gaza Strip permanently and resettle its two million inhabitants elsewhere.

The plan was unveiled amid protests during the official visit of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington.

Trump said he wanted a solution that saw “a beautiful area to resettle people permanently in nice homes where they can be happy” and develop the territory so the “world’s people” would live there.

“We have no home. For those who want to send them to a happy, nice place, let them go back to their original homes inside Israel, there are nice places there, and they will be happy to return to these places,” Mansour said.

The start of a ceasefire deal on January 19 saw many Palestinians returning to houses that no longer stood.

“In two days, in a span of a few hours, 400,000 Palestinians walking returned to the northern part of the Gaza Strip,” Mansour said.

“I think that we should be respecting the selections and the wishes of the Palestinian people, and the Palestinian people at the end will make the determination, their determination.”

The UN says more than 1.9 million people have been displaced in Gaza since October 2023.

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