Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has dismissed US President Donald Trump's proposal to relocate some two million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip as a "fantasy", DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, Trump left many observers stunned by saying that the United States "will establish control over the Gaza Strip" and that the Palestinians living in the territory should be resettled to other countries.
Barak told Israeli Army Radio today that “this doesn't look like a plan that anyone has seriously considered. It looks more like a provocation or maybe an attempt to show support for Israel.“
According to him, Trump's comments may be an attempt to put pressure on Arab leaders and warned them: “This is what awaits you if you don't wake up, offer a practical solution for Gaza and help remove 'Hamas' from power.“
Barak added that it was entirely possible that moderate Arab states in the region could offer a better approach in response to Trump's half-baked plan.
„Key issues will need to be addressed, such as 'how to move forward in Gaza, how to prevent 'Hamas' from ruling and how to ensure that Israel is no longer threatened,'“ he said.
„These are legitimate and important issues for us,“ said the former Israeli prime minister from the center-left Labor Party.
The previous US administration supported reforming the Palestinian Authority to regain control of Gaza after the war, but Israel's right-wing religious government rejects this approach, DPA noted.