Norway and Spain rejected US President Donald Trump's plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza, calling it a violation of international law and reaffirming their support for Palestinian rights.
As discussions on Gaza's reconstruction continue amid Israel's devastating attacks, Trump's proposal to relocate Palestinians to neighboring Arab countries, such as Jordan and Egypt, has drawn growing international criticism.
The issue was among the key topics at the G20 foreign ministers' meeting held in Johannesburg on Feb. 20-21, where Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide and Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares voiced their opposition to the plan in remarks to Anadolu.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares dismissed Trump's proposal, affirming: "(Gaza) is the land of the Palestinians and the Gazans. The Palestinian Gazans must remain in Gaza."
He underlined Madrid's commitment to supporting Palestinians through humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts, stating: "We are sending our humanitarian aid, and we will be part of the reconstruction effort in order to ensure that the lives of those Palestinians become normal as soon as possible."
Separately, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide expressed concern over Trump's plan, saying: "I am worried about some of the signals that came out about expelling the Palestinians to other lands."
"That is absolutely not our view. That's a violation of international law," he lamented.
He emphasized the importance of improving conditions for Palestinians and ensuring their right to statehood.
"What we need to do is to make life good for the Palestinians and make sure they can have their own state in Palestine," the official stressed.
Addressing Gaza's reconstruction, Eide noted that rebuilding must go beyond physical restoration.
"(Gaza destroyed by) the violence from the Israeli Defense Forces needs to be rebuilt. It needs to be rebuilt not only physically but also politically," he stated.
Eide stressed the necessity of reconnecting Gaza with the West Bank under a unified Palestinian administration.
"That political reconstruction has to reconnect it to the West Bank in a political sense, meaning that we once again have Palestinian authorities that will run the total territory of Palestine as recognized in the Oslo Accords, and that we can move forward to establishing a real state," he emphasized.
Norway, which formally recognized Palestine as a state last year, continues to work closely with Arab and other interested countries to push forward diplomatic efforts.
"We have been working for decades to get to that point, and we decided to do it last year," he recalled, underlining: "We keep working very closely with a key group of Arab countries, but also with other interested countries, in trying to move it forward in that direction."
Trump recently announced that Washington would assume control of Gaza during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
He argued that Palestinians would be "better off" moving to newly built settlements in neighboring countries and claimed they had no other option but to leave Gaza.
The international community has widely criticized the proposal, with legal experts and humanitarian organizations warning of severe consequences if Palestinians are forcibly displaced.
The ceasefire deal took effect last month, pausing Israel's genocidal war, which has killed more than 48,000 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
