UN envoys condemn US-backed plans to displace Palestinians in Gaza

A group of UN ambassadors, including the Arab Group, on Friday condemned any attempt to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza, calling it a blatant violation of international law.

“The displacement of Palestinians in Gaza must be unequivocally rejected," said Kuwait’s UN envoy, Tareq al-Banai, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group at a press conference in New York. "Such displacement is a clear breach of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949.”

The statement was supported by representatives from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement. Banai praised the global opposition to forced displacement and urged UN member states to take a firm stance against it.

Outlining a vision for Gaza’s future, he declared: “We, the Arab countries, want to see a Riviera-a Palestinian Gazan Riviera-within an independent and internationally recognised state of Palestine.