“The plan to cleanse Gaza and forcibly displace the Palestinian people (from there) is an extension of Israel's calculated agenda to wipe out the Palestinian nation,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Wednesday.
“The recent claim by the US to seize Gaza represents an unprecedented assault on the core principles of international law and the UN Charter,” the official said.
He underscored the incompatibility of such actions with “fundamental principles of international law and human rights,” calling for its complete rejection on the part of the members of the international community.
The official went on to emphasize the deep-rooted resistance of the Palestinian people against Israeli occupation and aggression, noting, “For 76 years, the Palestinian people have stood firm against the most severe crimes and violations by the occupying regime, refusing to abandon their ancestral land.”
Accordingly, the Palestinians would never allow the United States and the Israeli regime to erase their historical and national identity, he stressed.
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday alongside visiting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump had said the United States would oversee clearing up of destroyed buildings, removing of unexploded ordnance, and “resettling” of Palestinians elsewhere as part of the scheme.
"The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We’ll own it," he had noted, saying that Washington could even deploy troops to the territory.
The comments were ensued by widespread international condemnation of any attempt to reshape Gaza without genuine participation of its residents.
In a further call to action, Baqaei urged the global community to unite in opposition to such schemes, particularly highlighting the responsibility of all governments to support the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and freedom from occupation.
He also reiterated the importance of support for Palestinians on the part of international bodies, asserting, “We call for a firm rejection of this proposal by the United Nations Security Council, the UN General Assembly, and the UN Secretary-General.”
He, meanwhile, commended the unanimous opposition of Islamic and regional nations to the scheme, urging the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to adopt a strong and cohesive stance in the face of the plot.