UK finally says it will oppose Trump’s plan to take over Gaza and push out Palestinians

In a rebuke to the US president, Anneliese Dodds said the government will ‘oppose any effort to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states against their will’. Britain will oppose any attempts to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza, a Foreign Office minister has said, confirming for the first time that the government will block Donald Trump’s controversial plans for the enclave. Development minister Anneliese Dodds said the future of Gaza must be determined by Palestinians with the support of neighbouring countries and the international community.

And, in a rebuke to the US president, Ms Dodds said: “We would oppose any effort to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states against their will. "There must be no forced displacement of Palestinians nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip.". Mr Trump said on Tuesday the US will “take over the Gaza Strip” – estimating that about 1.8 million Palestinians living in Gaza would be relocated so that what he called a “hell hole” could be turned into “the Riviera of the Middle East”.

Sir Keir Starmer failed to condemn the US president when he was confronted on the issue during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, but Downing Street said the PM planned to talk to President Trump over the shock plans. Asked whether it was accepted that the UK’s position is at odds with the US president’s suggestions that America could take ownership of the Gaza Strip, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “We will work with President Trump and his team on a wide range of issues, including the Middle East.”.

That followed foreign secretary David Lammy confirming Britain still supports a two-state solution to the conflict and saying “we must see Palestinians able to live and prosper in their homelands in Gaza, in the West Bank”. He said Britain will “ensure there is a future for Palestinians in their home”. Going further on Thursday, in response to an urgent question in the Commons, Ms Dodds said: “Palestinian civilians should be able to return to and rebuild their homes and their lives - that is a right guaranteed under international law.

"Gaza is home to two million Palestinians and remains an integral part of what must become a future Palestinian state, with Palestinians living next to Israelis in peace and security.". Ms Dodds praised Mr Trump, saying the US has played a "critical" role in negotiating the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. But she added: "We must now work together to ensure the ceasefire is implemented in full and becomes permanent.".

It came after Labour’s Andy McDonald, who tabled the question called advocating for the expulsion of people as "ethnic cleansing". “I acknowledge the government will wish to maintain a diplomatic relationship with the US as a longstanding friend, but it is the role of friends to be honest with each other, and the UK must use its influence,” Mr McDonald said. Sitting next to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, Mr Trump said those being forced out of Gaza under his plans would be housed in Jordan, Egypt and other countries – suggesting these neighbouring nations would come around to the idea despite their outright rejections. He said Gaza “has been a symbol of death and destruction for so many decades, and so bad for the people anywhere near it, and especially those who live there”.

Saudi Arabia said it “unequivocally rejected” the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and that it would not normalise ties with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state. Jordan said its monarch, King Abdullah II, rejected “any attempts to annex land and displace the Palestinians” – while Egypt stressed the need for reconstruction “without moving the Palestinians”.

France, Germany and Spain all reiterated the need for a two-state solution to the conflict, arguing the forced displacement of Palestinians would be a breach of international law. Sir Keir is under pressure from his own party to challenge Mr Trump directly over the proposals, with 38 Labour MPs signing a letter demanding he take a stand. In a sign of the shared anger across parliament, the letter was also signed by eight independent MPs, four from Plaid Cymru, two SNP, two SDLP and one Alliance Party along with 13 peers from different parties including Labour.