Al-Azhar rejects all plans to displace Palestinians from Gaza
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Al-Azhar called on the Palestinian people to hold on to their land and stick to their cause, describing it as the cause of "honorable people."
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Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip on January 27, 2025. (AP)
Al-Azhar Al-Sharif strongly expressed its absolute rejection of all plans and attempts to displace Palestinians from their lands, stressing that Gaza is "an Arab Palestinian land and will remain so."
In a statement published on X, al-Azhar considered the displacement of Palestinians from their lands "an unjust attempt" to enable the Israeli occupation to seize the homeland and usurp the rights of Palestinians after the IOF failed to occupy Gaza.
الأزهر يعلن رفضه القاطع لمخططات تهجير الفلسطينيين.. ويؤكِّد: محاولة بائسة وظالمة لتمكين الاحتلال من أرضهم
— الأزهر الشريف (@AlAzhar) January 27, 2025
يُعرب الأزهر الشريف عن رفضه القاطع لكل مخططات ومحاولات تهجير الفلسطينيين من أراضيهم، في محاولة بائسة وظالمة لتمكين الكيان المحتل من وطنهم ومقدراتهم، واغتصاب حقوقهم، بعد فشل…
Al-Azhar called on the Palestinian people to hold on to their land and stick to their cause, describing it as the cause of "honorable people," and to stand in the face of unjust ambitions and "inhumane support" for the Israeli occupation's violation of the rights of Palestinian people.
In a statement on Saturday, US President Donald Trump told reporters he wanted to "clean out" Gaza by deporting part of its population to neighboring Jordan and Egypt.
The remarks, seen as impulsive rather than a calculated policy, alarmed Arab leaders who had been cautiously optimistic about cooperating with his administration.
From an Arab perspective, the forced deportation of Palestinians is a deeply destabilizing move that could inflame tensions and threaten the stability of moderate governments across the region.
That said, Trump enjoys being a disruptor, which is described as "tossing a grenade," according to The Washington Post.
Jordanian, Egyptian officials refuse 'influx of refugees'
According to the report, one Arab official suggested that Trump could be reflecting on business development ideas, rather than a foreign policy initiative.
"It’s literally a demolition site right now," Trump said of Gaza, adding that "I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change."
Trump's comments came after a conversation with King Abdullah II of Jordan who looks forward to cooperating with Trump, but not destabilizing his country with a "new influx of refugees," according to WP.
In turn, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi stated that Jordan’s opposition to the displacement of Palestinians is "firm and will not change."
Additionally, the Egyptian Embassy shared a 2023 statement by its ambassador, Motaz Zahran, on Sunday, asserting that "Egypt cannot be part of any solution involving the transfer of Palestinians into Sinai."
The report suggested that even Trump’s Arab supporters were "dismayed".
"We categorically reject the president’s suggestion that the Palestinians in Gaza be moved — apparently forcefully — to either Egypt or Jordan," said Bishara Bahbah, chairman of Arab Americans for Trump. "We don’t need wildish claims or statements relating to the fate of the Palestinians."
