ISTANBUL – French President Emmanuel Macron has criticized US President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, asserting that such a move would be a violation of their rights and international law.
“You cannot say to 2 million people, ‘okay, now guess what? You will move,’” Macron told CNN in an exclusive interview Tuesday evening in the Elysee Palace.
“The right answer is not a real estate operation, this is a political operation,” he said.
Trump recently outlined a controversial plan to transfer Palestinians to neighboring Egypt and Jordan while advocating for US “long-term ownership” of Gaza.
He also suggested redeveloping the territory into a luxury destination, a proposal supported by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some far-right settler groups in Israel.
Macron, while reaffirming France’s support for Israel’s security, has been vocal in criticizing its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon. France suspended arms exports to Israel in October 2024 and urged other nations to do the same.
“I always reiterated my disagreement with (Israeli) Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Macron said.
“I don’t believe that such a massive operation targeting sometimes civilian people is the right answer,” he added.
He emphasized the importance of respecting Palestinians’ right to remain in their homeland, noting that regional powers such as Jordan and Egypt have also rejected the displacement proposal.
The international community has widely condemned Trump’s plan. The UN warned against what it described as “ethnic cleansing,” while Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares stated unequivocally that “Gazans’ land is Gaza.”
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called the idea “unacceptable,” and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock cautioned that forced displacement would lead to further suffering and instability.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy appeared to acknowledge Trump’s concerns over Gaza’s devastation but reaffirmed Britain’s commitment to a two-state solution. – AFP
